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The Fortschreibung is the binding government-strategy update replacing the inaugural June 2020 Nationale Wasserstoffstrategie (NWS 2020). It was jointly authored by four lead ministries — BMWK, BMUV (Environment), BMZ (Development Cooperation), and BMBF (Education and Research) — and adopted by the full Federal Cabinet (Bundeskabinett) on 26 July 2023 under Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck.
Four-pillar architecture:
1. Supply (Versorgung): Domestic green H2 production via at least 10 GW electrolyser capacity by 2030 (up from 5 GW), plus a diversified H2-import strategy via bilateral partnerships with Norway (pipeline-route via the planned North Sea H2 corridor), North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt), Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman), Australia, and Canada. The H2Global double-auction import mechanism (Grantee: H2Global Stiftung, funded via KTF) acts as the commercial vehicle to underwrite long-term H2/H2-derivative import contracts.
2. Infrastructure (Infrastruktur): Build-out of the Wasserstoff-Kernnetz — a core H2 pipeline network of more than 1,800 km of new and repurposed natural-gas pipelines to be operational by 2027/2028, to be administered by the Fernleitungsnetzbetreiber (FNB Gas) and regulated by the Bundesnetzagentur. The Kernnetz was formally approved by Bundesnetzagentur on 22 October 2024. Underground H2-storage and industrial-cluster connection are also addressed.
3. Demand (Nachfrage): Priority demand sinks are hard-to-abate industrial processes — steel-making (DRI-EAF route via thyssenkrupp, Salzgitter), petrochemicals and ammonia (BASF, InfraServ), refinery H2 substitution — plus heavy-duty road transport (fuel-cell trucks), rail, maritime, and eventually aviation (SAF via H2-derived kerosene). The Fortschreibung sets a 2030 H2-demand target of 95–130 TWh/year and a 2045 target of 360–500 TWh/year.
4. Action framework (Maßnahmenrahmen): Three main financial instruments: - €18 bn KTF allocation across the H2 programme envelope (shared with broader energy transition; the KTF Wirtschaftsplan 2024 filed separately under 2023-08-09-germany-ktf-wirtschaftsplan-2024 operationalises this). - IPCEI Hy2Tech and Hy2Use — Germany co-funds the EU Important Projects of Common European Interest for hydrogen technology (electrolysers, FCEVs) and hydrogen use-cases (industrial H2 corridors). - Klimaschutzverträge (KSV) / carbon contracts for difference — long-term contracts that bridge the green-premium between H2-based and fossil-based production in energy- intensive industries, committing the government to pay the difference when CO₂ prices are insufficient. First KSV round awarded late 2024.
Nel ASA, Siemens Energy (Silyzer), and Sunfire — Germany is the EU's largest electrolyser-deployment market.
Salzgitter AG transformation capex; the KSV mechanism directly reduces offtake risk for H2-based steel.
projects and for the NortH2 / Gassco North Sea H2 corridor proposal.
interlinked with the EU Hydrogen Bank (2023 pilot and 2025 auctions filed separately) — overlapping IPCEI co-funding implies project-selection convergence.
solvency. Following the Nov 2023 Constitutional Court ruling on KTF repurposing (BVerfG 2 BvF 1/22), the KTF envelope was restructured in early 2024, creating some uncertainty over the H2 allocation; no formal reduction to the NWS targets has been announced as of filing date.
delays in the H2-Beschleunigungsgesetz process?
EU RFNBO additionality framework — and does the France vs Germany taxonomy divergence create cross-border IPCEI co-funding friction?
calibrate industrial-demand growth in steel and chemicals through 2030.