Joint project to produce and transport windgas

Hanover / Hamburg, 17 April 2012. Today Greenpeace Energy and Gasunie signed a cooperation treaty to constitute their partnership in the field of power-to-gas technology (“Windgas”). Aim of the cooperation is the construction and operation of an electrolyzer by Greenpeace Energy and the feed in of the produced hydrogen in the transport system of Gasunie. Both partners see this as an important contribution to a future-oriented energy-supply. Their commitment aims at the development of innovative storage and transport solutions for renewable energy in the gas infrastructure.

In an electrolyzer electric energy is used to split water in its components oxygen and hydrogen. This chemical process is both clean and sustainable and has delivered an optimal performance in practice for decades. Subsequently the hydrogen will be feed in into the gas infrastructure. Here it is blended with natural gas. At this stage the gas infrastructure can easily absorb several percent of hydrogen. In 2013 Greenpeace Energy and Gasunie plan to put the infrastructure for production and feed in of hydrogen into operation in Northern Germany. Greenpeace Energy will supply its customers with Windgas. The produced hydrogen will be feed in and transported by Gasunie.

“The cooperation with Gasunie is a big move for us to achieve our aim to supply our gas customers with Windgas“, says Dr. Steffen Welzmiller, managing director of Greenpeace Energy. Since October 2011 Greenpeace Energy offers the tariff proWindgas. Customers get in a first step pure natural gas which will be mixed with an increasing amount of windgas. The product tariff contributes to the development of windgas technology.

“For Gasunie the partnership with Greenpeace Energy is a milestone on the way towards a sustainable energy supply”, states Jens Schumann, managing director of Gasunie Deutschland. “Starting with bio gas feed ins into our pipeline system natural gas has already a green dimension. Now we want to prove that the combination of innovative products for the energy market, reliable and safe technologies and a strong natural gas infrastructure, for which Gasunie stands, will open perspectives for the future. Natural gas infrastructure offers the ideal opportunity for the German Energiewende – in an efficient and economic reasonable way. We are happy to have with Greenpace Energy a partner on our side who stands for credibility and professionalism.

“Windgas is an essential condition for the successful implementation of the German Energiewende since it opens the existing natural gas infrastructure as a storage facility for renewable energy sources”, states Dr. Steffen Weizmiller for Greenpeace Energy. To supply Germany completely with renewable energy there is a demand for huge storage facilities. The production of electric energy from sun or wind fluctuates. Thus energy from surplus hours has to be stored to cover those hours with a minimum rate of wind or solar energy production. By transforming wind or solar power into Windgas this can be stored in the natural gas grid and retransformed to electric energy in natural gas power plants if needed.
Greenpeace Energy is Germany’s biggest independent energy co-operative and delivers more than 110,000 customers including about 8,000 business customers with clean power as well as the innovative and ecologically worthwile gas product proWindgas. Via its affiliate Planet energy Greenpeace Energy constructs clean power plants. The company runs eight wind farms and three solar power installations with a total capacity of 54 megawatts.
Gasunie is one of the biggest natural gas infrastructure companies an Germany and is responsible for the management, operation and development of a long-distance pipeline net in Northern Germany.

contact:
Dr. Philipp von Bergmann-Korn
Gasunie Deutschland
0511/640 607-2146
philipp.vonbergmann-korn@gasunie.de
www.gasunie.de

Henrik Düker
Greenpeace Energy eG
040/808 110-655
henrik.dueker@greenpeace-energy.de
www.greenpeace-energy.de
 

European Gas Conference Award for ‘Transmission System Operator of the Year’
• ‘Gasunie driving force behind north-west European gas market’
• Gasunie participations Gate Terminal and Nord Stream also among the prize winners

Gas infrastructure company Gasunie was declared ‘Transmisison System Operator of the Year’ at the European Gas Conference in Vienna. The jury awarded this award to Gasunie because the company has made an important contribution to the operation of the market and cross-border trade in gas in Europe.

Out of a strong international field of nominated network operators, the jury chose Gasunie because of the cross-border and innovative nature of its activities. These qualities are expressed, for instance, in its leading role in defining conditions for access to the grid, in lifting barriers to trade resulting from differences in gas quality and in introducing an innovative concept to link gas trading hubs in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark (the ‘Link4Hubs’ concept). The jury also mentioned the key international position of Gasunie as an independent gas infrastructure company in the Netherlands and Germany and, in particular, the efforts of Gasunie Deutschland in network operation.

Paul van Gelder: ‘The most important thing about a prize like this is that it is recognition of the work of our employees. Through their efforts and perseverance, they deliver a carefully formulated strategy which goes under the name ‘Crossing borders in energy’. This award confirms once again how important it is to keep an international focus in strategic thinking. That's also important for the Netherlands – from the perspective of both security of supply and the economy.’

Two companies in which Gasunie has a participating interest as a shareholder also came among the prize winners. Gate Terminal, co-developed by Gasunie and Vopak, is located on the Maasvlakte near Rotterdam and was opened by Queen Beatrix in September 2011, as the first import terminal for liquid natural gas (LNG) in the Netherlands. Gate Terminal was declared ‘LNG project of the year’, because ‘as an independent distribution point, the terminal enables European energy companies to respond to the growing demand for and declining production of natural gas in north-west Europe. The terminal strengthens security of supply and expand opportunities for new entrants to the European gas market.’

Nord Stream, the large pipeline project that crosses the Baltic Sea bed in which Gasunie holds a 9% share, also won a prize. This was for the outstanding way in which all aspects of this project – technical, logistical, financial, environmental, communications – were managed.

According to program director Sandra Haines, the European Gas Conference Award was devised to encourage businesses: ‘The shifting dynamics of the European gas industry mean that projects operating in the industry are continually required to develop robust and innovative strategies to stay ahead of the competition and ensure they are able to offer security of supply to the European market.'