Visit of Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Ceremonial opening of the HY.City.Bremerhaven hydrogen refuelling station

The first public hydrogen filling station in Bremerhaven was officially inaugurated on 20 February. Chancellor Olaf Scholz cut the symbolic ribbon together with the managing directors of HY.City.Bremerhaven and representatives of the shareholders, thereby setting another milestone for hydrogen mobility in Germany. The refuelling station at the Bremerhaven Bus depot will be open to all road users in March 2025.

Another step towards CO2-neutral mobility

Following the completion of the hydrogen production plant in the Grauwallring industrial estate at the end of 2024, the refuelling station has now also been completed after around a year of construction. It is a central component of the HY.City.Bremerhaven joint project, which covers the entire hydrogen value chain from production to utilisation. The green hydrogen produced there is obtained from wind energy and is used for the climate-friendly operation of vehicles.

We want to and will remain a strong, successful industrialised country. We can only achieve this in the long term if we organise our prosperity in a CO2-neutral way. [...] This project is indicative of the upheaval we are currently undergoing in Germany. Hydrogen refuelling stations like this one are springing up all over Germany, and yet they remain pioneering projects that require entrepreneurial ambition and a willingness to cooperate on the part of local authorities to make them a success.

In his speech, Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasised the importance of the hydrogen economy for Germany's future

Inauguration with high-ranking guests

Olaf Scholz was joined at the official opening by Bremen's mayor Andreas Bovenschulte, SPD member of parliament Uwe Schmidt and other representatives of local politics. After the symbolic cutting of the ribbon, Andreas Wellbrock demonstrated the refuelling process on a fuel cell bus to the Federal Chancellor.

The first customer of the new refuelling station is the Bremerhaven Bus transport company, which has already converted part of its fleet to fuel cell buses. Around 33 buses or 200 cars can be refuelled daily with the 900 kilograms of hydrogen produced - an important step on the road to sustainable mobility.

Eröffnung von HY.City.Bremerhaven symbolischer Bandschnitt
Management, shareholders and political representatives came to Bremerhaven on 20 February for the official opening of the H2 filling station
Andre Wellbrock und Olaf Scholz
Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulates HY.City.Bremerhaven Managing Director Andreas Wellbrock on the completion of the project

The advantages of hydrogen buses

Low-noise driving: H2 buses are quieter than diesel buses, which improves the quality of life for local residents, especially at bus stops.

Longer range: Ideal for regions without charging infrastructure where battery-powered buses would be inefficient or impractical.

Fast refuelling: refuelling in approx. 10 minutes, faster than charging electric buses, which enables smooth operation

Longer service life: Hydrogen-based fuel cell systems potentially have a longer service life than batteries, which reduces costs.

Infografik Wasserstoffproduktion

Significance for turnaround in energy policy

Nils Schnorrenberger from BIS Bremerhaven Wirtschaftsförderung drew parallels with the development of wind power in Bremerhaven: ‘This project is a pioneering investment. Similar to wind energy, which was started by owner-managed medium-sized companies and was able to establish itself thanks to the framework conditions created by politicians. With hydrogen, we are only at the beginning.’

Jochen Kress, Head of Division for Climate and Environmental Affairs at the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, also emphasised the innovative concept: ‘HY.City.Bremerhaven is a holistic concept that shows how the energy transition can succeed through regional cycles. The project is suitable for everyday use and forward-looking.’

Impressions of the H2 refuelling station

DS Group as an active partner in the hydrogen economy

The Diersch & Schröder Group is one of the shareholders of HY.City.Bremerhaven and contributes its expertise in the area of petrol station infrastructure.

Thanks to the cooperation between our subsidiary DS card + drive and HECTRONIC, the petrol station system was designed in such a way that both open payment systems such as EC and credit cards and closed systems such as fleet cards can be used. This means that the petrol station can be used by both private and commercial customer

Successful example of public-private cooperation

With an investment volume of 12.7 million euros and funding of 5.5 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport, HY.City.Bremerhaven is an example of how private sector involvement and public funding can work together to drive forward sustainable infrastructure projects. After five years of planning and construction, the filling station is now in operation and shows how a complex, sustainable infrastructure can be successfully realised through the interaction of politics, business and regional players.

Sustainability: our responsibility