Ramp-up of Germany's green hydrogen electrolyser capacity continues to lag behind
Clean Energy Wire / Handelsblatt
Germany’s expansion of electrolyser capacity to produce green hydrogen continues only at a slow pace, showed a report by energy research institute EWI. The previous German government had aimed to have 10 gigawatts (GW) of hydrogen electrolysers in use by 2030 to help decarbonise heavy industry, yet the country currently has only 181 megawatts of capacity in operation, EWI said.
The report found that 22 projects with a total electrolysis capacity of 1.3 GW are currently under construction or have a final investment decision. They are expected to go into operation by the end of 2027. However, the report also found that construction has not yet begun on 14 of the 20 projects scheduled to begin operations this year.
“Under current conditions, the 10 GW-target set out in the National Hydrogen Strategy is likely to be missed,” Ann-Kathrin Klaas, hydrogen expert at EWI, told business daily Handelsblatt.
After the publication of an energy transition monitoring report in autumn 2025, the economy ministry said it would scrap the 10 GW target planned for 2030 and instead make it more flexible. It has not yet presented a proposal. The ministry has also said it plans to revise support programmes designed to boost the hydrogen economy and is set to bet on imports of the fuel from countries with more renewable power production potential, for example Morocco. Germany’s previous government expected that 50 to 70 percent of the country’s green hydrogen demand will be covered by imports in the long term.
Handelsblatt pointed to an EU regulation that hydrogen electrolysers must not be powered with existing renewable energy installations and instead must be produced with additionally built installations as one reason for the lack of progress. The criteria for hydrogen electrolysers will become even stricter in the coming years, and experts fear that this could further slow down the expansion of green hydrogen, it wrote.
The use of green hydrogen made with renewable power is seen as a key ingredient to make heavy industry more climate-friendly, but Germany’s ambitious plans for a ramp-up are facing difficulties, as supply and demand have remained well below expectations despite billions in subsidies.
