Fortescue MOU builds foundation of a “hydrogen bridge” from Australia to Germany
Australian renewable green energy company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and European operator E.ON to deliver up to five million tonnes per annum of green, renewable hydrogen (GH2) to Europe by 2030
Both partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to execute this ambition, with each side committing to a research and study partnership.
This historic partnership marks E.ON’s and FFI’s broader ambition to lead the decarbonisation of Europe and to strengthen security of green energy supply, with five million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of renewable GH2 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 are together in the spirit of the Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord signed in June 2021 at the G7.
Both companies will work together, in collaboration with their governments, aiming to achieve supply as fast as possible, 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," said Dr Andrew Forrest, Chairman and Founder of FFI.
"Green energy will reduce fossil fuel consumption dramatically in Germany and quickly help substitute Russian energy supply, while creating a massive new employment intensity industry in Australia,” he continued.
The 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 how to solve infrastructure issues and to build a secure value chain.
“E.ON is decisively driving forward the green energy transition in Europe and is fully committed to sustainability and climate protection. Renewable GH2 is a key element to achieving this task, while at the same time contributing to a secure and affordable future energy supply," said Leo Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON.
"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.”
