Following the climate decision, Hamburg's industry must accelerate its switch to green hydrogen. The construction of an electrolyzer in Moorburg illustrates the hurdles involved. Near the demolished coal power plant, a symbol of the energy transition is emerging.
Nowhere in Hamburg can the state of the energy transition be observed better at present: South of the Elbe in the port area lie two gigantic piles of brown rubble and old steel. Previously, the two boiler houses of the Moorburg coal power plant stood there, demolished in spring. The shut-down hard coal power plant belongs to the fossil world of energy production, the old world.
Within sight of these ruins, a massive concrete mixer is rumbling: Here, the foundation for an electrolyzer will soon be poured. The large facility is intended to produce climate-friendly hydrogen in the future and thus belongs to green energy production, the new world. At the back lie the remnants of the fossil past, in front on the open space a beacon of hope is emerging – and in between, a city is acting under time pressure.
The climate decision forces Hamburg's industry to quickly switch to renewable energies, particularly hydrogen. Keywords such as Energiewende, Volksentscheid, and Kraftwerk highlight the significance of this transition. The hurdles in building the electrolyzer in Moorburg make it clear, however, that the path to climate neutrality remains challenging.