Federal Research Minister Karliczek visited the Gelsenkirchen Climate Port – Regional President Feller accompanied the visit

 

Visit of Federal Minister Karliczek and District Administrator Feller to the Klimahafen Gelsenkirchen Initiative. (f.l.t.r.): Lars Wittenburg (Uniper Energy Sales GmbH), Michael Grütering (Emscher-Lippe Employers' Association), Dorothee Feller (District Administrator of the Münster administrative district), Dr. Jochen Grütters (Chamber of Industry and Commerce for North Westphalia), Karin Welge (Lord Mayor of Gelsenkirchen), Michael Georg Schmitt (Schmitt Stahlbau GmbH), Anja Karliczek (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), Lars Baumgürtel (ZINQ GmbH & Co KG), Dr. Christopher Schmitt (City Councillor for Economy and Public Order of the City of Gelsenkirchen), Thomas Reuther (TRIMET Aluminium SE), Roland Kowalke (Gelsenkirchen City Economic Development Agency), Jörn Pufpaff (ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH), Wolfgang Jung (Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen GmbH), Anatolij Buchhammer (GELSEN-LOG. Gelsenkirchen Logistics, Port and Service Company mbH), Dr. Birgitt Bendiek (ZINQ GmbH & Co KG), Jens Meinecke (TRIMET Aluminium SE).

Gelsenkirchen, 9 September 2021 – The Klimahafen Gelsenkirchen initiative, launched in July, is attracting nationwide attention. Yesterday, Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister for Education and Research, and Dorothee Feller, District Administrator of the Münster administrative district, visited the initiative at the Gelsenkirchen city harbour. Gelsenkirchen’s Lord Mayor Karin Welge welcomed the guests at the city harbour on the ZINQ Group’s factory premises. Thirteen companies – also supported by the IHK Nord Westfalen, the Wissenschaftspark and the City of Gelsenkirchen – have now rallied behind the initiative's efforts to operate carbon-neutrally as quickly as possible. To achieve this, an extension of the federally funded GetH2 hydrogen pipeline is essential, which is set to transport green hydrogen from Northern Germany to Gelsenkirchen-Scholven from 2024 onwards, according to the initiative's representatives.

Lars Baumgürtel, Managing Director of the ZINQ Group, spokesperson for the initiative and host of the evening, presented the goals and specific projects of the initiative, while also highlighting the boundary conditions that still stand in the way of climate neutrality in the medium-sized industrial sector.

„The transformation will not fail because of the companies producing here, as we are ready to convert our facilities. To ultimately be able to produce carbon neutrally, we need green hydrogen at competitive prices.“

Thomas Reuther, a board member of TRIMET Aluminium SE, also wishes for security in investment planning for the companies„ future activities: “Designing our plants for 100 percent hydrogen is feasible, but partly associated with considerable costs. The sooner we can definitively adapt to future developments, the better these investments can be managed – for example, as part of investments for maintenance and modernisations that are due anyway." Political support to safeguard these activities is therefore essential.

Mayor Karin Welge emphasised the importance of the project for the city and the region: „Through early integration of green hydrogen and the committed action of medium-sized industry, the Gelsenkirchen Climate Harbour can become a model for other commercial areas.“.

Federal Research Minister Karliczek was impressed by the commitment of the companies and the potential CO2 savings.

She promised to support feasibility studies and economic viability checks, as well as to assist the initiative with infrastructure concerns and market development issues for green hydrogen. The minister also advocated for the extension of the subsidised GetH2 hydrogen pipeline to the city harbour.

With a short-term switch to a hydrogen-rich energy gas from the Prosper coking plant, four companies in the initiative alone could save up to 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. With green hydrogen from the „GetH2 Nukleus“ project, via a connection to the GetH2 pipeline, emissions for process heat in these companies would be reduced by a further 23,000 tonnes to practically zero. A total of 13 companies have joined the initiative launched in May. ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, arsol aromatics GmbH & Co. KG, Avangard Malz AG, Ball Beverage Packaging Gelsenkirchen GmbH, Ruhr Oel GmbH – bp Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchener Logistik-, Hafen- und Servicegesellschaft mbH (GELSEN-LOG.), Müller´s Mühle GmbH, Mühle Rünigen Stefan Engelke GmbH, RK Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Schmitt Stahlbau GmbH and Uniper Energy Sales GmbH are also on board. Further information at www.klimahafen-gelsenkirchen.de.