Connection of tesa Hamburg Plant to Hydrogen Network HH-WIN Planned

A joint leap into the hydrogen future: The tesa Hamburg plant of tesa SE aims to use hydrogen at its production site in Harburg to decarbonize its operations as early as 2027. To this end, the company has commissioned the planning for a connection to the Hamburg Hydrogen Industrial Network (HH-WIN). Hamburg Energienetze GmbH is therefore designing a gas pressure control and metering station with a connection capacity of 25 megawatts, which will directly supply the hydrogen from the network at the required pressure on the tesa site. The Hamburg Energienetze are planning a station building with the necessary plant technology and will conduct preliminary construction site investigations, soil analyses, and route planning for the network connection line.

The tesa Hamburg plant, located in the Hausbruch district of Harburg, produces single- and double-sided adhesive tapes with around 700 employees on some of the world’s most advanced production facilities. The energy-intensive production will be covered in a climate-neutral manner in the future using renewable electricity and green hydrogen. By 2030, tesa aims to achieve climate-neutral production for both direct emissions (Scope 1) and energy-related indirect emissions (Scope 2). By switching from natural gas to green hydrogen by 2030, the company aims to avoid around 6,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually in the medium term.

Dr. Norman Goldberg, CEO of tesa SE, explains, “Connecting our plant to the Hamburg Hydrogen Industrial Network marks a decisive step on our path to climate-neutral production. As one of the first companies in Hamburg, we are taking this bold step, contributing to the decarbonization of industry. By using green hydrogen, we can significantly reduce our CO₂ emissions and further strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of our site.”

Michael Dammann, Technical Managing Director of Hamburg Energienetze, adds, “The plans at the tesa plant demonstrate how companies around the Port of Hamburg are consistently leveraging the decarbonization opportunities offered by connecting to the hydrogen network. We are proud and delighted to be entering the hydrogen economy alongside a renowned player like tesa SE, for which we are establishing a vital infrastructure with HH-WIN.”

HH-WIN: Hydrogen Network Under Construction

Construction of the Hamburg Hydrogen Industrial Network began in August after Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck delivered the IPCEI funding decision for the first 40 kilometers of the network. In October, the Federal Network Agency and the Federal Ministry of Economics included HH-WIN in the national hydrogen core network. This inclusion creates the basis for lower network fees during the ramp-up phase, as well as financial security for expansion beyond the subsidized initial network. Work on tunneling and pipeline laying has been underway at several points in the port. HH-WIN is expected to be operational as early as 2027, with plans to extend the pipeline length to 60 kilometers by 2032. This shift from natural gas to green hydrogen as an industrial energy source is projected to enable a CO₂ reduction potential of over 1.4 million tons per year.