Munich wants to participate in northern German hydrogen hub

22.04.2026

Source: E & M powernews

Stadtwerke München and the company Infener want to jointly realize the hydrogen hub planned in Neumünster.

The intention is firm: Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Swiss company Infener have signed a "Letter of Intent" (LOI) for SWM's participation in the planned hydrogen hub in Neumünster, Schleswig-Holstein. This was announced by the municipal group and the project developer on April 21.

The partnership is intended to go beyond a purely financial participation by SWM. The municipal utilities also want to contribute their own expertise, according to reports. The project in Neumünster is seen in Munich as a "promising pilot project to strategically position the company for the expected ramp-up of the hydrogen economy".

According to Infener, the project is in the "final preparatory phase". The leasehold agreement for the 29,000-square-metre site is due to be approved by the council in May, as the company's spokesperson told the editorial team. "Our project company is set up on site in the Log-In start-up center. The grid connection is being implemented in parallel with Tennet and SH Netz," she writes.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027. Commissioning is scheduled for 2028, but depends on the progress of the grid connection. "A project of this size first needs a grid connection to the high-voltage grid - that is an infrastructure project in its own right," the spokesperson emphasizes. It is currently being implemented. The project to build a hydrogen hub with a capacity of 50 MW was launched in March 2024, with construction originally scheduled to start in the same year (we reported).

Blueprint for decentralized hubs

"With the LOI from Stadtwerke München, we now have a strong partner to bring the project to fruition," says Stansstad in the canton of Nidwalden, where Infener has its headquarters. The Swiss company has a branch in Munich.

SWM is already involved in the hydrogen sector along the value chain in transportation. Participation in production is currently being examined. "In this context, the Neumünster project is very suitable due to its geographical location and the partnerships we are seeking with Infener and regional energy suppliers," said Gregor Neunzert, Head of Gas Investments at SWM, in a joint press release issued by the companies.

Joel Vogl, CEO and founder of Infener, sees the project as a blueprint. "The future of the hydrogen economy lies not only in mega-projects on the coast, but in decentralized hubs that produce hydrogen where it is needed," he explains.

Author: Manfred Fischer