HydroDes
02.2025 – 01.2028
Project content
Jordan is one of the sunniest countries in the world and also has considerable wind energy potential. Theoretically, these are ideal conditions for the cost-effective production of green hydrogen. However, the country is also one of the most water-scarce in the world, making it difficult to operate electrolyzers without sufficient water. To avoid conflicts with drinking water supply or agriculture, the only viable option is the construction of desalination plants. However, access to the sea is limited to a narrow coastal strip on the Red Sea in the south of the country, near the port of Aqaba.
Given the favorable production conditions and imports from this politically stable country for years, German and European energy supply and industry could also benefit. By using hydrogen, fossil power plants could be replaced and the so-called “hard-to-abate” sectors (steel, cement, chemicals, aviation, shipping, and heavy-duty transport) could be decarbonized.
The HydroDes project therefore focuses on analyzing hydrogen production and the manufacturing of hydrogen derivatives in Jordan. The key question is how much hydrogen (and derivatives) can be produced in Jordan, at what cost, and how this production can be realized despite water scarcity.
