Holzwickede (dpa / lnw) – The distribution network operator Westnetz, a subsidiary of Westenergie AG, is testing the delivery of 100 percent green hydrogen to end customers in a pilot project in the municipality of Holzwickede near Dortmund. The North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (Greens) said on Thursday at the official inauguration: “Today we are going 500 important meters towards climate neutrality.” The project could become the blueprint for ramping up the hydrogen economy.
For the project, Westnetz disconnected an existing natural gas pipeline from the distribution network and connected it to a hydrogen storage facility. This is filled with climate-neutral hydrogen, which is stored at a maximum pressure of 42 bar. From there, three companies in Holzwickede are supplied, which use the hydrogen to produce part of the space heating required for their buildings. The research and development project “H2HoWi” is accompanied by the German Fuel Institute Freiberg and will run until the end of 2023.
