About the Project

The hydrogen map shown here is a project of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim of the map is to provide an overview of the numerous projects, initiatives and institutions related to hydrogen in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Hydrogen is indispensable for achieving climate protection targets by 2045. As a storage medium for electricity from renewable energies, in industry or as a fuel for mobility, it is used wherever the direct use of renewable energies is not possible. Industry in particular will require large quantities of hydrogen in the future, both as an energy source for high-temperature processes and as a raw material for the steel and chemical industries, for example. 

In November 2020, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia published its hydrogen roadmap. The North Rhine-Westphalia Hydrogen Import Concept, published in July 2024, and the nine-point paper published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy in August 2024 are intended to further simplify and accelerate the implementation of the hydrogen ramp-up. In recent years, numerous projects and initiatives have been launched to promote the use and development of a wide variety of hydrogen technologies.

The map shown here provides an overview and initial information about the numerous hydrogen projects in North Rhine-Westphalia. Among other things, the Enargus funding database of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European funding database Cordis were evaluated for this purpose. The hydrogen map also includes research and development projects funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with the Project Management Jülich. 

The hydrogen map was designed in collaboration with the State Office for Nature, Environment and Climate (LANUK). For many years, LANUK has been the central point of contact for data on the energy transition in North Rhine-Westphalia and provides the public with comprehensive information on this topic in the digital specialist information system Energieatlas NRW.