Prospects and opportunities for Eastern Germany for a competitive hydrogen economy

One of the most promising climate change mitigation technologies is green hydrogen, which contributes to a drastic reduction in the share of fossil fuels and thus to climate protection. Eastern Germany, as a historically grown energy and industrial location, has excellent conditions for the development of a hydrogen economy. In addition to the relevant utilization potential already existing in the industrial and urban centres, there is also enormous production potential for renewable electricity on the coast in the north as well as the relevant hydrogen storage and transport capacities. In view of the dynamic development of recent years and the necessary implementation perspective, the expansion of import and transit pipelines to the European hydrogen backbone is imperative to meet the enormous demand for green hydrogen for the region, which greatly exceeds the production capacities. To maxmize the potential, society must coordinate transfer strategies, legal frameworks and funding opportunities, which must be synchronized and adapted regionally as well as nationally and EU-wide.