The Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment, and Nature confirmed the failure of “HyScale 100” in mid-August. The Heide refinery had been working on the project together with the French hydrogen company EDF-Hynamics, the Swiss building materials manufacturer Holcim AG, and the Danish energy company Ørsted A/S.
The federal and state governments had originally pledged just under 900 million euros for the project. According to the state government, however, no funding was lost as a result of the cancellation.
The refinery attributed the failure, among other things, to a lack of planning certainty.
The electrolysis plant is scheduled to begin operations in 2026
The project aimed to integrate wind-powered hydrogen production withCO2 capture for the manufacture of petrochemical products. TheCO2 captured from the Holcim cement plant in Lägerdorf and the refinery was to be synthesized into e-methanol using green hydrogen. This was to be carried out via electrolysis at the refinery.
The e-methanol would be marketed as a green fuel on the one hand, and fed into a methanol-to-olefin plant on the other. The plant would then produce green propylene and ethylene. Petrochemical products can be derived from both of these substances.
The plan was to build electrolyzer capacity of up to 2.1 GW for the production of green hydrogen. A 500-MW electrolyzer plant at the refinery had been scheduled to come online in 2026.
Dithmarschen Fears Further Delays
The Dithmarschen district expressed regret over the project's failure. Plans for the production and storage of green hydrogen are now expected to face further delays. Holcim, however, stated that its own projects would not be affected by the cancellation.
