HyStarter I: Hydrogen Region Lausitz
City of Cottbus, District of Bautzen, District of Dahme-Spreewald, District of Elbe-Elster, District of Görlitz, District of Oberspreewald-Lausitz & District of Spree-Neiße
The Lausitz region has established itself as a centre of energy and industrial production in Germany. With the lignite from the Lausitz coalfields, around 8,000 MW of energy is currently still generated directly on site in the surrounding power plants. However, the current generation of electricity from lignite in the Brandenburg and Saxon Lausitz will be completely discontinued by 2038. This would mean the loss of about 18,000 well-paid jobs in the region. The most important goal is therefore to replace these jobs that will be lost in the Lausitz region as quickly as possible with high-quality, value-added jobs in industry. These are to be created both in the production of green hydrogen and in the technological further development of hydrogen use for alternative forms of drive technology for buses, trains, trucks and cars, right up to component production for fuel cell manufacture in the Lausitz region.
Background to the region
The self-image of Lausitz as an “energy region” is very deeply rooted. This identity is to be preserved even in times of the coal phase-out. Hydrogen technology lends itself to this. The production of renewable energies and the infrastructure of the central energy supply offer considerable potential for the development of a hydrogen economy in the region.
The aim is to produce green hydrogen in the Lausitz region from renewable energy sources and to make it available to a large number of users in the region through a regional filling station infrastructure. In particular, the conversion of local public transport to hydrogen operation will be a first step. The initiative will focus in particular on the population, entrepreneurs and researchers in the region.
In the Lausitz region, many different stakeholders are interested in taking a closer look at the topic of hydrogen. The “Hydrogen Network Lausitz DurcH2atmen” (www.durchatmen.org) co-founded by the Cottbus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will ensure greater networking of activities and players in the future. In addition to the production and use of green hydrogen in the Lausitz region, there is a particular focus on establishing value-added chains around the topic of fuel cell production. For this purpose, the aim is to form a Brandenburg hydrogen and fuel cell cluster.
Project contact
Ulrike Kaiser
Project Manager Lausitz Economic Region GmbH
kaiser@wirtschaftsregion-lausitz.de
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Regional concept
