FFI and E.ON partner on renewable hydrogen for Europe

Australian renewable green energy development company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and E.ON, one of Europe’s largest operators of energy networks and energy infrastructure with over 50 million customers, have announced a partnership to deliver up to five million tonnes per annum of green, renewable hydrogen (GH2) to Europe by 2030.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to execute on this ambition, with binding elements between the parties to deliver on the mission. Each side has committed to a research and study partnership, with further detailed documentation and steps required related to supply.

FFI says the partnership marks E.ON’s and FFI’s broader ambition to lead the decarbonisation of Europe and to strengthen the security of green energy supply at a time when Europe needs to reduce its energy dependence on fossil fuels from Russia as quickly as possible. Five million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of renewable GH2 is equal to approximately one-third of the calorific energy Germany imports from Russia.

The agreement was signed in Berlin by Dr Andrew Forrest, Chairman of FFI, and Patrick Lammers, COO of E.ON, in the presence of Michael Kellner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Australia’s Ambassador to Germany, Philip Green. The two companies will work together in the spirit of the Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord announced in June 2021 at the G7.

Both companies say they will work together, in collaboration with their governments, regarding how to achieve supply as fast as possible. Both aim to ramp up quickly to five million tonnes per annum of GH2 by 2030. This will help to decarbonise thousands of medium-sized enterprises all over Germany and the Netherlands, as well as other European cities and communities to which E.ON distributes energy.

“The announcement of this historic partnership today aims to diversify the future energy security in Europe,” Forrest said. “Green energy will reduce fossil fuel consumption dramatically in Germany and quickly help substitute Russian energy supply, while creating a massive new employment-intensive industry in Australia.”

German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: “The race for large-scale production and transportation of green hydrogen has taken off. The agreement between E.ON and FFI is a major step forward and puts them in a pole position for the delivery of green hydrogen to German industry. I congratulate the two companies and I strongly welcome their contribution to a future without fossil fuels. We will keep fostering initiatives like this one within the German-Australian Energy Partnership.”

It is intended that such large amounts of renewable GH2 will be powered by Australia’s immense renewable resources as well as FFI’s other planned global projects, and will be distributed by E.ON. The parties have also agreed to work together to analyse what solutions could look like to solve infrastructure issues and to build a secure value chain.

“We cannot keep gambling our energy security and the planet’s future on fossil fuels. Green hydrogen is the practical, implementable solution to decarbonise and lower emissions,” said Julie Shuttleworth, CEO of FFI.

“We are rapidly establishing the building blocks across Australia and globally that will allow us to develop and fully integrate our world-leading green technologies, manufacturing capabilities and green energy generation and distribution,” said Elizabeth Gaines, CEO of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd, the parent company of FFI. “From the beginning of FFI our philosophy was to drive performance across the entire new renewable GH2 value chain. Today’s important announcement in Europe is not just signalling to the global marketplace that now is the time to make renewable GH2. It is also a decisive step forward in FFI’s journey to become one of the world’s largest green energy producers.”

“E.ON is decisively driving forward the green energy transition in Europe and is fully committed to sustainability and climate protection,” said Leo Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON. “Renewable GH2 is a key element to achieving this task, while at the same time contributing to a secure and affordable future energy supply. Our partnership with FFI is an important milestone on this path. Two major international companies are joining forces to build a ‘hydrogen bridge’ from Australia to Germany and the Netherlands, based on shared values and the joint capability of realising the scale of such a project. Two together make decarbonisation possible for many, which is an encouraging message, especially in these days.”

“We are foreseeing a rapidly increasing demand for renewable GH2, especially in our industrial ‘Mittelstand’ client base in the regions we serve,” said Patrick Lammers, COO of E.ON. “We look forward to unlocking the potential of this totally green, climate-friendly energy source for our customers and are pleased to work towards building a secure value chain with a strong partner like FFI.”

Image: Patrick Lammers of E.ON and Andrew Forrest of Fortescue after signing the MOU: Image © Michael Kappeler/dpa