Peter Terium
Vienna, 16.10.2024: Dii has existed for 15 years now. Her failure has often been philosophized about, but she is alive. This became clear at the press conference for the 14th conference in Vienna. With more than 120 partner companies and the hype about green hydrogen, their development was driven forward. There are also some current studies. The advantages of the region can be used here: gas, for example, can reach Europe via a pipeline from North Africa. Compared to sea transport, it is an inexpensive option. Dii already held initial discussions about the Neom lighthouse project in Saudi Arabia in 2017. It is now a project to which the worldview relates. Solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 4000 MW are being built. This roughly corresponds to the installed capacity in Morocco. This requires an investment of $8 billion. The electrolyzer has an output of 2200 MW and is supplied by ThyssenKrupp.
There will be a product that is being developed under the name ZETA. It is based on a new energy trading system that, for example, gives green molecules a certificate. Emissions trading can be connected to this trading model. For example, green hydrogen purchased in this way can be freed from carbon dioxide emissions. To achieve this, green hydrogen must be used instead of coal to produce steel. This leads to a reduction in CO2 taxes. This creates a new market model.
Things are still at a very early stage, says Dii CEO Cornelius Matthes. The CEO goes on to say that the hydrogen market needs to be imagined globally. It has a volume of 100 million tons, which are almost exclusively produced and consumed locally. So far, this has almost exclusively been gray hydrogen from fossil raw materials. 180 million tons of ammonia are produced worldwide. 15 percent of this is transported in ships. “We are in the early stages of developing a market that does not yet exist,” says Matthes, describing the current situation.
ZETA is a platform that brings together forward-thinking leaders in energy markets to pave the way for international trade in clean energy. Through open discussions, collaboration and advocacy, ZETA will develop standards and initiate processes that will help achieve the goal of a zero-emission energy supply. The initial focus will be on trading clean energy products in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and will gradually be expanded globally.
Peter Terium, former RWE boss and CEO of ENOWA, emphasized his commitment to ZETA’s mission to promote production and trading of “green”, low-carbon energy. With ENOWA, Terium is leading the development of a 100% renewable energy-based, sustainable water and food system within the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia.
He stressed that it is important to prepare markets for climate neutrality while maintaining high standards of security of supply and affordability. In this context, ZETA and public stakeholders are discussing the possibilities of creating a clean energy hub in the MENA region. This requires common standards.
The first steps in this direction were taken in Vienna. The meeting was also the first meeting of the Standardization Working Group, where participants discussed the development of standardized contracts for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives. These are a very important prerequisite for international trade in these products.
Further information can although be found in our current book: Sun, Wind and Power
Autor: Dr. Thomas Isenburg, Wissenschaftsjournalist
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