Berlin – In light of the current energy crisis, IG Metall is calling on the federal government to significantly increase the capacity targets for the production of green hydrogen. “We must switch to hydrogen more quickly,” said Jürgen Kerner, executive board member of IG Metall, at the union’s second hydrogen conference in Berlin. “Since Russia’s war of aggression, the supply of affordable gas—which we thought was secure—has suddenly dried up. We must therefore switch to renewables faster than planned. The federal government must now adjust the national hydrogen strategy to ensure energy security for the necessary climate-friendly transformation of our industry.”
By 2030, Germany is set to have green hydrogen production facilities (electrolysis capacity) totaling up to 10 gigawatts. This is stipulated in the coalition agreement. IG Metall is now calling for an increase in these capacity targets to 15 gigawatts over the same period. The union is convinced that this is necessary to prevent the ecological transformation of industry from stalling.
To meet climate targets, steel—like other products of the basic materials industry—must be produced in the future using the direct reduction process: with hydrogen and, as a transitional measure, with gas. But this gas bridge is now becoming increasingly precarious, IG Metall argues. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has led to a gas shortage and corresponding price increases, effectively ruling out gas as a transitional technology. As a result, “Hydrogen must be available much sooner and in significantly larger quantities than previously anticipated,” said Kerner.
This affects more than just the basic materials industry, Kerner emphasized: “The mobility sector—with its commercial vehicles—the rail industry, as well as aviation and shipping, all rely on hydrogen as a storage medium and propulsion source. Our machinery and plant manufacturers can provide the necessary infrastructure; they have the required expertise. In this way, we also secure the national value chain and the necessary infrastructure.”
The federal government must now not only raise its capacity targets but also create the framework to ensure these targets can be achieved. This includes, in particular, an accelerated expansion of renewable energy, faster approval processes, and a rapid expansion of the infrastructure for transporting green hydrogen.
IG Metall had invited around 100 works council members to its hydrogen conference in Berlin to discuss the impact of the energy crisis on the ramp-up of hydrogen production with representatives from politics, industry associations, and academia. The conference took place as part of IG Metall’s hydrogen initiative, through which the union aims to advance the issue at both the political and workplace levels in the interest of creating good, sustainable jobs.
