Germany Allocates €360 Million to Source Green Ammonia from Beyond EU Borders

Germany: HINT.CO, a subsidiary of the H2Global Foundation, has officially initiated the first tender for green Ammonia imports from outside the EU. This project holds an estimated value of €360 million (~$380 million) and will be used as a main input for producing green Hydrogen. All bids must be submitted in German and are due by February 7, 2023.

HINT.CO is making one giant leap for green energy. The company announced that it will introduce a double-auction program to buy green Hydrogen or its derivatives from international producers through ten-year Hydrogen purchase agreements (HPA). These Hydrogen derivatives are then sold to European customers, who can bid on short-term supply contracts. By end of 2024 or early 2025, expect European ports like Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands to start receiving shipments of these clean energy sources. This is an exciting development in sustainable and renewable resources and a major victory for green energy enthusiasts around the world.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) has granted €900 million (~$950 million) in funding to the H2Global initiative, which will be used to finance projects that enable green Hydrogen and its derivatives to be produced inexpensively. The supply contracts will be awarded to the highest bidders; however, if they do not meet the cost of the HPA, the difference will be covered by HINT.CO using funds from BMWK.

Participants are eligible to bid if they have produced at least 5,000 tons of Hydrogen per annum in any three years during the last five-year period. In order to be eligible, bidders must have purchased or generated 100 GWh of renewable energy and have experience constructing and running Hydrogen or Hydrogen-derived plants with a capacity of minimum 5,000 tons annually.

Additionally, bidders must have experience in providing transport services for dangerous goods, and the classification of such goods must be consistent with the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals.

The transport service must be provided by a ship that has transported at least 1,000 tons of Hydrogen per year for the last three years. Bidders must also have a consolidated turnover of €1.2 billion ($1.27 billion) in the past three financial years from either hydrogen or hydrogen-derivation production. If their market activity is less than three financial years old, the bidder must have an average annual turnover of €1.2 billion ($1.27 billion) as part of a strategic corporate plan.

The bidder must have transport and environmental liability insurance with at least €10 million (~$10.56 million) coverage for property damage, personal injury, and financial loss. The annual insurance compensation must be at least twice the amounts insured above. Furthermore, the provided insurance must not be older than six months prior to bid submission. Lastly, for the last three audited financial years, the bidder’s equity ratio should not have dropped below 20%.

Bidders for HINT.CO's upcoming auctions for green methanol and sustainable aviation fuels must meet certain financial qualifications, including confirmation of 'good creditworthiness' from a third party, as well as ratings of 250 or higher from Creditreform, Ba2 or above from Moody's, BB or higher from S&P Global Ratings, and/or a rating of BB or better from Fitch.

The German Bundesrat, the country's federal legislative council, recently passed a law requiring renewables to make up at least 80% of Germany's power capacity mix by 2030. This was then approved by the Bundestag (German Parliament).

In addition, in July this year, the European Commission granted €5.4 billion (~$5.7 billion) in funds for the ‘IPCEI Hy2Tech’ project that focuses on research, innovation, and initial industrial development involving Hydrogen technology.