That's why Hamburg and Newfoundland are now making a pact

The Atlantic Ocean lies between the Hanseatic city of Hamburg and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, around 4500 kilometers as the crow flies - and yet both sides want to move closer together in the field of hydrogen technology. Foreign State Councilor Almut Möller and Newfoundland Minister of Culture Steve Crocker signed a corresponding declaration of intent on Tuesday in the venerable Mayor's Hall of Hamburg City Hall. They are deepening a pact that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a month ago.

With the letter of intent, Hamburg and the Canadian province commit themselves over the next five years to “sharing their experiences and lessons learned” and “channelling their expertise and strengths in a planned and coordinated manner”. The common goal is the establishment and development of a global, self-sustaining hydrogen economy. It was also said that "the special competencies from business and science in the two regions should be integrated".

“Hamburg is working on establishing northern Germany as a hub for hydrogen in Germany. Our international partnerships help us in this,” Möller emphasizes the project. Hamburg's representative for the federal government, the European Union and for foreign affairs explains: "With its enormous deposits of renewable energies and the strong export potential of green hydrogen and its derivatives, Newfoundland is an ideal partner for our hydrogen strategy".

The agreement with Newfoundland is embedded in a new framework for cooperation between the national governments of Germany and Canada. "This can also promote our plans," said the Foreign Councilor.

Möller and Crocker met on Tuesday for a conversation in City Hall. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts and Leisure of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador is currently in Hamburg with a delegation from business, politics and the environment and is also visiting WindEnergy 2022.

Around 1,400 companies from 37 countries will be presenting innovations and solutions along the entire value chain of wind energy on land and at sea in the Hamburg exhibition halls until Friday. A total of up to 30,000 trade visitors from all over the world are expected.

According to the information, Hamburg and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador are committed to the implementation of the energy transition and would like to contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions. Green hydrogen plays an important role as the energy carrier of the future.

The signing of the declaration on Tuesday follows the declaration of intent to establish a German-Canadian hydrogen alliance between the governments of Canada and Germany. Chancellor Scholz and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau sealed that agreement at the end of August in Stephenville in western Newfoundland. According to this, exports from Canada with green hydrogen should start in 2025.

Newfoundland is considered a favorable location for the production of green hydrogen, which is generated using renewable energies. There is a lot of wind in the sparsely populated region and a lot of space to convert it into energy.

In the agreement, the federal government agrees that it wants to support importers of hydrogen. Details were not given in the letter of intent. However, both governments are committed to expanding the hydrogen economy in their countries and promoting it with state funds. There should also be cooperation in further research into the use of green hydrogen.

In addition, cooperation between ports in both countries – as is now the case between Hamburg and Newfoundland – is to be promoted. The background is the construction of the necessary export and landing facilities in the ports on the Canadian east coast and the German coast.