Wintershall Dea and VNG step up hydrogen activities

Wintershall Dea and VNG have jointly invested in HiiROC as a potential technology partner. The company, based in Hull, UK, has developed methane pyrolysis technology to accelerate the cost-effective and CO₂-free production of hydrogen.

‘HiiROC’s technology offers us a lot of potential for decentralised hydrogen production,’ reports Andreas Berger, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Technology Ventures.

In methane pyrolysis, natural gas is split into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen can be used as a clean, carbon-free energy source, while the solid carbon can be used as a raw material in industry; for example, in the production of plastic, rubber or similar products.

Hugo Dijkgraaf, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Wintershall Dea, adds: ‘We actively support the energy transition, including investments and projects that help to drive forward low-cost, large-scale and low CO₂ hydrogen production.’ Wintershall Dea hopes the investment will help support its goal of minimising Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from 2030 onwards. The company is also involved in a methane pyrolysis research partnership with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and the Greensand carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Denmark.