Press release June 20, 2023
Visiting the hydrogen future
Dr. Bettina Hübschen, Managing Director of the Saarland Hydrogen Agency, was our guest in Völklingen-Fenne
Saarbrücken/Völklingen-Fenne. It was only a few weeks ago that Dr. Bettina Hübschen began her work as managing director of the Saarland Hydrogen Agency. In her new role, she recently visited Iqony Energies at the long-established power plant site in Völklingen-Fenne to learn about the site and Iqony’s plans to produce climate-neutral green hydrogen there
“Saarland is an industrial location rich in tradition. Hydrogen is the lever to open up long-term prospects for local industry and the jobs associated with it,” Bettina Hübschen says, summing up the opportunities and challenges of the hydrogen economy for Saarland.
Iqony plans the hydrogen future in Saarland
With the planned “HydroHub Fenne”, Iqony intends to play its part in adding a new chapter of success to Saarland’s economic history: “We are planning an electrolysis plant with a capacity of 53 megawatts at the site. With that plant, we want to supply the steel industry and other industries in the region, as well as the mobility sector, and by doing so make a relevant contribution to the decarbonization of industry in the Saar region,” says Anke Langner, managing director of Iqony Energies, explaining the energy company’s plans. Above all, she says, it is important to get started: “If industry is to get into the hydrogen ramp-up quickly, it cannot wait for a sufficiently efficient European hydrogen pipeline network to reach Saarland at some point in the future. It’s also about supply resilience, and we are therefore well advised to map and implement as many parts of the hydrogen value chain as possible locally in Saarland.”
The guest and host agreed that the successful launch of the hydrogen economy in Germany still requires the clarification of important regulatory framework conditions: “The most obvious example here is the IPCEI procedure at the European Union, which has still not been completed,” Anke Langner recalls: “As early as the beginning of 2021, Iqony, along with numerous other companies, submitted its project in Völklingen-Fenne for recognition as an “Important Project of Common European Interest” – IPCEI for short – without any corresponding decision having been made in Brussels to date.
Discussions to continue
Irrespective of that, Dr. Bettina Hübschen and Anke Langner agreed to remain in contact on the subject of hydrogen: “Our common concern is to successfully shape the conversion of the Saarland economy to hydrogen as an energy medium. Wherever the state can help with advice and action, it will certainly do so,” said Bettina Hübschen at the end of the visit.
About Iqony
qony makes green energy feasible. With more than 85 years of experience in the planning, construction and operation of energy facilities, the company provides holistic solutions for the decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization of the energy supply. Iqony focuses on renewable energies and bridging technologies that can be used in a climate-neutral way now and in the future. In addition to solar, wind and geothermal energy, the portfolio includes hydrogen solutions, storage technologies, engineering services and gas-fired power plants. Around 2,300 employees worldwide implement projects for major industrial companies, utilities, cities and municipalities in numerous countries across the globe. Specializing in tailor-made solutions for complex challenges, Iqony draws on its broad and in-depth knowledge of the energy industry across the full range of technologies and services.
