The Stuttgart-based consultancy will be responsible for project steering, approval procedures and engineering management.
“I am delighted that Drees & Sommer is on board for this project. We can count on the company as a reliable service provider with many years of experience in managing major projects,” says Kerstin Kuwan, who is responsible for the project at EWE.
“The project is very complex,” explains Alexander Stubinitzky, Head of Hydrogen & SynFuels at Drees & Sommer. “All trades have to be scaled up, and there are many interfaces that have to be neatly organised during implementation. The project is extremely demanding, both technically and in terms of organisation and scheduling”. In order to complete the project within the planned cost and time limits and to a high standard of quality, project management – a particular strength of Drees & Sommer – is of particular importance. The company brings project management experience from the successful implementation of many complex major projects, coupled with technical expertise in hydrogen production.
The planned 320 megawatt electrolysis plant in Emden will produce up to 26,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year for various industrial applications in the region, in particular for the steel industry. The green hydrogen in Emden will be produced mainly from wind power.
In addition to the Emden project, EWE is also planning a 50-megawatt electrolysis plant in Bremen. This initiative will be implemented by Stadtwerke Bremen (SWB), a fully owned subsidiary of EWE. Both projects play a critical role in alleviating grid constraints, making them key contributors to the energy transition. These electrolysis plants are part of EWE’s broader Clean Hydrogen Coastline (CHC) initiative, a large-scale hydrogen venture integrating green hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization.
In February 2021, EWE successfully secured funding for the CHC project through the European Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program. In mid-July, Dr. Robert Habeck, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, officially presented the national funding approval for the project in Berlin. The CHC project will receive €500 million in total funding, with €350 million from the federal government and €150 million from the state. The overall investment for CHC exceeds €800 million.
The CHC project involves the construction of production facilities in Emden and Bremen, the conversion of a gas cavern in Huntorf, Lower Saxony, for hydrogen storage, the development and conversion of various pipeline segments, and the industrial use of green hydrogen, particularly in sectors like steel manufacturing.

Photo source: Drees & Sommer / © EWE / Litho Niemann + M.Steggemann