Stuttgart and the Region Enter the Hydrogen Age

Construction of the first large-scale production plant for green hydrogen in the port of Stuttgart is underway: Stadtwerke Stuttgart (SWS) heralded the start of the Green Hydrogen Hub Stuttgart (GH2S) project with a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on Monday, April 28, 2025. “With this hydrogen project for the Stuttgart region, we are realizing another important building block for an efficient CO2-free energy supply to achieve Stuttgart's climate targets,” says Peter Drausnigg, Technical Managing Director of Stadtwerke Stuttgart. At the reception at the hub site at Am Mittelkai 25, Baden-Württemberg's Environment Minister Thekla Walker, Rainer Wieland, Chairman of the Stuttgart Region Association, and Dr. Frank Nopper, Lord Mayor of the state capital Stuttgart, acknowledged the relevance of the pioneering hydrogen project. In their speeches to around 150 invited guests, they emphasized the great importance of the project for the economy of the entire region and beyond.

The overall project consists of three components: production and logistics with the Green Hydrogen Hub Stuttgart (GH2S), distribution via the H2 GeNeSiS pipeline and applications with HydroPulse Stuttgart (HyPulseST). The investment volume of the project in the current expansion stage is around 50 million euros, of which around 16.6 million euros is being financed by subsidies. The Verband Region Stuttgart is funding the Green Hydrogen Hub and HyPulseST sub-projects with around ten million euros. The construction of the H2 GeNeSiS pipeline is being supported by the European Union with around 4.9 million euros and the state of Baden-Württemberg with around 1.7 million euros. “The hydrogen project marks the start of a new chapter in energy supply for Stadtwerke. Special thanks go to our partners for their financial support and assistance,” emphasizes Peter Drausnigg. The hydrogen project should be completed and in operation by December 2026.

Green hydrogen can be used in a variety of ways

SWS is starting to build the generation plant and logistics components at the port of Stuttgart. High-purity green hydrogen will be produced there from surplus wind and solar power. It is primarily used in industry, especially in vehicle development, as a fuel for fuel cell buses, trucks and ships.

“Stadtwerke Stuttgart is turning the port of Stuttgart into a place for the technology revolution. With the Green Hydrogen Hub, Stuttgart is becoming a showcase location for green hydrogen. The Port of Stuttgart will become a hub for production and logistics in this innovative technology, including a hydrogen pipeline in the Neckar Valley from Stuttgart-Gaisburg to Esslingen,” says Lord Mayor Dr. Frank Nopper. “The use of green hydrogen for the mobility, industry and energy supply sectors will strengthen Stuttgart as a business location and make it more competitive. This is also an important building block on the road to climate neutrality. The annual production of 1,200 tons of green hydrogen that will be possible in the port of Stuttgart in the future is equivalent to four million liters of diesel and means an annual saving of 15,000 tons of CO2.”

Three electrolysers will go into operation in the hub at the Port of Stuttgart from the end of 2026 and produce up to 1,000 tons of high-purity hydrogen from green electricity every year. The green hydrogen will be transported to customers via trailers or via the underground H2 GeNeSiS pipeline. The pipeline route is planned from Stuttgart-Ost via Stuttgart-Hedelfingen and the hub to the Esslingen district boundary. Among other things, hydrogen filling stations will be connected to it. This project marks a further milestone for an efficient CO2-free energy supply with an impact beyond Baden-Württemberg.

“Hydrogen plays a key role in the energy transition,” says Baden-Württemberg's Environment Minister Thekla Walker. It stands for climate protection as well as a secure energy supply. “As a leading industrial location, Baden-Württemberg must be involved in this technology right from the start. The Green Hydrogen Hub is making a strong statement here: we are helping to shape the transformation, we are keeping the region competitive. This is exemplary and is an important step for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Baden-Württemberg.”

Milestone on the road to a green future

The hydrogen project is another milestone on the way to the state capital's green future: it includes economically viable hydrogen production, including transportation infrastructure, in the Neckar Valley. The starting point for the SWS GH2S project is the joint H2 GeNeSiS project funded by the EU and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment and Climate. In addition to SWS, this project involves the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS), Stadtwerke Esslingen am Neckar GmbH & Co. KG, the Steinbeis Innovation Center for Energy-Efficient and Emission-Free Technologies (SIEET) and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research BW (ZSW).