WACKER and bayernets signal commitment to scaling up hydrogen in Bavaria’s Chemical Triangle

Wacker Chemie AG and bayernets GmbH have signed an agreement reserving hydrogen transport capacity in the Burghausen H2 cluster / HyPipe one. The agreement demonstrates concrete industrial demand for hydrogen at the Burghausen chemical site and provides important momentum for the development of hydrogen infrastructure in Bavaria’s Chemical Triangle.

Hydrogen already plays an important role at WACKER as a raw material for the production of polysilicon and fumed silica. The company also sees green hydrogen as a key component in the chemical industry’s transition to climate neutrality. WACKER is therefore already preparing its sites for the future use of green hydrogen. The company is investing in infrastructure and partnerships and developing new processes that can gradually replace fossil raw materials. Green hydrogen also offers opportunities to use CO₂ as a raw material and make material cycles more sustainable. WACKER sees significant future potential in these applications, too, once green hydrogen becomes available in sufficient quantities and at competitive prices.

“Hydrogen will play an important role in the transformation of the chemical industry. By reserving transport capacity now, we are laying the groundwork to prepare our Burghausen site for the use of climate-neutral hydrogen over the long term. It will be crucial to ensure that hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities and at competitive prices in the future. A robust infrastructure is an essential prerequisite,” says Dr. Christian Hartel, CEO of WACKER.

With its HyPipe one project, bayernets is already taking a first concrete step towards connecting the Burghausen site to the future hydrogen transport network. The site is located in Bavaria’s Chemical Triangle, close to the Austrian border. HyPipe one will thus provide access to international hydrogen sources and import corridors. Of particular importance is the SoutH2 Corridor, which is intended to transport hydrogen from North Africa via Italy and Austria to Bavaria and onwards into Germany’s hydrogen core network.

“The Burghausen industrial site was one of the starting points for our hydrogen infrastructure planning. The fact that the hydrogen cluster is now part of both our European PCI project, ‘HyPipe Bavaria – The Hydrogen Hub’, and Germany’s hydrogen core network, and that WACKER has signed an agreement reserving specific transport capacity, marks a significant achievement. An early idea has thus evolved into a concrete infrastructure project of European significance,” says Dr. Matthias Jenn, Managing Director of bayernets GmbH.

HyPipe one is part of Germany’s approved hydrogen core network. The approximately 15-kilometre pipeline will connect potential hydrogen sources in Gendorf with industrial consumers in Burghausen, providing an initial building block for the further expansion of the hydrogen network in Bavaria’s Chemical Triangle.