Moorburg power plant sold to Hamburger Energiewerke

On 1 March, the municipal Hamburger Energeiwerke (HEnW, Hamburg Energy Plants) acquired the company with 94 employees, the buildings, the remaining components and the associated land at Moorburger Schanze from Vattenfall. Both sides have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

The Moorburg power plant was shut down in July 2021 as part of the German coal phase-out after only six years of operation. Since then, the remaining team has been preparing the dismantling of the power plant. The actual dismantling is now being carried out by Hamburger Energiewerke. Moorburg GmbH has made extensive provisions to cover the costs of dismantling with the cash available in the company in the same amount. The aim of Hamburger Energiewerke is to build up a hydrogen infrastructure at the Moorburg site and to use a wide range of components from the former combined heat and power plant to supply the Hanseatic city on the basis of renewable energies.

Jens Kerstan, Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture: "The Moorburg coal-fired power plant was decommissioned almost 20 months ago. With the current purchase of the site by the municipal company HEnW, we can now implement concrete planning for a green energy future there. Moorburg is an ideal location for the development of a hydrogen economy because of its location and connection to pipelines and transport routes. A consortium of companies, in which Hamburger Energiewerke is also involved, is already well advanced with the plans for a 100 MW electrolysis plant. The German government has proposed the plans for Moorburg to the EU for financial support as part of the IPCEI funding, and the reviews at EU level are currently underway. Last year, we in Hamburg already secured co-financing for our IPCEI projects, and this year we are expecting the grant notifications. We are also already working on expanding the capacity of the electrolyser. Together with the hydrogen industrial network HH-WIN of the municipal gas grid company, the cornerstone for Hamburg as a leading hydrogen location is being laid at the Moorburg site. We want to show that business, climate protection and prosperity can work together."

Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economics and Innovation: "Moorburg is linked to the future of green hydrogen production like no other site. The realisation of an electrolyser of this magnitude in Hamburg is the result of a joint effort by the economic and environmental authorities. The electrolyser is the essential building block of a hydrogen alliance project consisting of partner companies from industry and the energy sector. The Moorburg site will be connected by a pipeline system with the Hamburg companies and with the supra-regional pipeline system Hyperlink. We are thus positioning Hamburg as a European nucleus from which the ramp-up of a modern hydrogen economy can be driven forward and thus strengthen the pan-European economic power. With the purchase of the land, we are now taking the next step towards the long-term decarbonisation of industry, the port sector, heavy goods transport and aviation - a great gain for Hamburg as an industrial and technology location."

Andreas Dressel, Senator of Finance: "The fact that the plant and site of the Moorburg power station are moving back into the portfolio of our public companies is good news - and proof of our efficient Hamburg municipal economy. This allows us to shape the energy turnaround and the hydrogen future locally on our own land - which fits perfectly with our municipal land and active acquisition policy. The interests of the workforce have also been taken into account, which is also an important concern for us. My thanks go to our holding company HGV, which is part of the financial authority, and which has accompanied the process very well."

Christian Heine, spokesman for the management of Hamburger Energiewerke: "The construction of large-scale hydrogen production and the dismantling of the existing power plant can from now on be carried out from a single source. It is in the nature of things that there are conflicting interests and challenges under licensing law between the dismantling, conversion and construction of a new infrastructure. We can avoid these conflicts in the future with the purchase. In addition, we are acquiring a first-class site for the energy and heat transition, which has a connection to the municipal power grid, the transmission grid and water treatment suitable for after-use. This is how the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Hamburg can succeed."

Dr Isabella Niklas, Spokesperson of the Management Board of HGV Hamburger Gesellschaft für Vermögens- und Beteiligungsmanagement mbH (HGV): "As the group holding company of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, we are pleased to have been able to support our subsidiary, HEnW, in this important transaction. The acquisition of the Moorburg site is a central building block for the development of a hydrogen economy in Hamburg and lays the foundation for green hydrogen to become an integral part of our city group's activities in the future. We also warmly welcome the employees of Moorburg GmbH to the municipal group and wish them every success for the challenges and tasks ahead."

Christian Barthélémy, head of Germany and member of the Vattenfall Group's full Board of Management: "The sale of Moorburg to Hamburger Energiewerke (HEnW) marks the end of a very eventful and turbulent history for Vattenfall. We are pleased that our approximately 94 local colleagues will find a new and reliable home in the municipal company. We bid farewell to Moorburg - as they say in Hamburg - with a heartfelt "goodbye", and wish all those involved all the best for the dismantling of the power plant and the establishment of a sustainable energy supply at this site. Because we are all agreed on one thing: the energy supply must quickly become fossil-free. Not only for climate policy reasons, but also for geopolitical reasons. That's why we'll be happy to supply the green electrons for the production of hydrogen at this historic energy site in the Port of Hamburg at a later date."