Visitor center in Wilhelmshaven to provide information about Uniper's decarbonization goals

With the commissioning of Germany's first LNG import terminal in December 2022, Uniper set a milestone for independence from Russian gas supplies. However, the import of liquefied natural gas is only a temporary solution to secure energy supplies over the short-term. As a long-term solution, Uniper will switch to green energy sources as part of the Energy Transformation Hub Northwest project and will implement the "Green Wilhelmshaven" and "Masterplan Wilhelmshaven" projects in order to produce hydrogen by electrolysis and import ammonia via an import terminal, which will in turn be converted into hydrogen. Commissioning of the terminal is planned for 2028, while the large electrolysis plant is scheduled for 2027.

"The people of Wilhelmshaven understand the need for the LNG terminal, but at the same time they want to be certain that the terminal is a temporary solution and that the Wilhelmshaven site will undergo real transformation," says Julia Grebe, Stakeholder Manager for Northern Germany at Uniper. A visitor center will be built later this year for locals and tourists who are interested in Uniper's projects. This is because the previous information point, which used to be visited by many people, was closed when the coal-fired power plant was decommissioned, and the new LNG terminal is not able to receive visitors. 

The new visitor center will enable anyone who is interested to find out more about new energy sources, Uniper's projects in Wilhelmshaven and the wider region, and the conversion of the power plant site. The information will be provided in the form of films, digital aids and models of systems. The visitor center will be set up on a temporary basis, since the large electrolysis plant and ammonia import terminal will be able to receive visitors once they are built.

Uniper is currently working hard on redesigning the power plant site, which was shut down in 2021. The area being redesigned spans around 100 hectares. Some parts of the former power plant building will be retained and repurposed in the interests of sustainability. In addition, the electrolysis plant for converting offshore wind into hydrogen will occupy part of the area. Other companies are also planning to establish their green projects on the site of the former coal-fired power plant. In some cases, the companies will complement each other in terms of their operating and raw materials and the energy they require, forming a kind of circular economy. "Our projects will enable us to transform a conventional coal-fired power plant site into an energy hub with new energy sources," says Julia Grebe.

This blog post is part of a series on Uniper's activities related to the "Energy Transformation Hub Northwest" project.