Hy Summit 2022 showcased h2 projects by Ruhr industry

International hydrogen conference in Duisburg and Essen

Under the title “Hy Summit 2022”, an international conference took place from 8 to 10 November 2022, intended to showcase the expertise of the Ruhr Metropolis and the Rhineland region in the transformation of industry with hydrogen.

On the opening evening, participants were guests at Thyssenkrupp Steel. CEO Bernhard Osburg explained the plans to replace conventional blast furnaces with hydrogen-based direct reduction plants. At the Duisburg site, this can save 2.5% of Germany-wide CO² emissions. Customer interest (50% from the automotive industry) in green steel is high. Minister for Economic Affairs Mona Neubauer repeatedly emphasized the black-green state government’s intention to maintain NRW as an industrial location, including energy-intensive industry, and to drive forward its transformation. NRW is therefore supporting the first direct reduction plant in Duisburg with a mid three-digit million euro amount.

The full-day conference the following day in Essen reported on future H2 application and development projects in the various industrial sectors in the region. The English-language conference was an interesting meeting point for the NRW scene. However, projects already implemented were less of a focus, and the – indeed excellent – scientific expertise available at the region’s universities was not included. All in all, it should be noted that many participants came from the Ruhr region and that international interest was probably lower than the organizers would have liked.

Caption: On the opening panel, the following discussed (front row, left to right): Mona Neubauer, NRW Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy, Bernhard Osburg, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Steel, Jürgen Zurheide, moderator, and Dr. Rasmus Beck, Managing Director of Duisburg Business and Innovation