Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE)

Germany’s Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power for the production and supply of green hydrogen to Europe.

Under the MoU, the partners will establish a hydrogen bridge between Saudi Arabia and Germany, with an initial target of supplying 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.

As disclosed, ACWA Power will act as the lead developer, investor and operator of green hydrogen and ammonia production assets, while SEFE will serve as a co-investor and the primary offtaker, marketing hydrogen to its German and European customers.

Egbert Laege, SEFE’s CEO, commented: “This partnership perfectly embodies our dual ambition: securing Europe’s energy supply while driving the energy transition. By expanding our green hydrogen portfolio and investing in the local production, we are equipping ourselves with solutions to help our customers achieve decarbonisation.”

Marco Arcelli, ACWA Power’s CEO, said: “This MoU with SEFE marks a significant milestone in accelerating the green hydrogen economy in Europe. By combining ACWA Power’s proven expertise in green hydrogen production with SEFE’s extensive market knowledge, we are forming a strong partnership to deliver substantial quantities of green hydrogen to Germany and beyond, making a meaningful contribution to global decarbonisation efforts.”

To note, SEFE is developing hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure in Germany, converting, through its subsidiary GASCADE, parts of its 4,100 km pipeline network for hydrogen transport under the FLOW project and building a new hydrogen offshore pipeline AquaDuctus in the North Sea. Moreover, it is developing a large-scale facility in Jemgum, capable of storing up to 500 GWh of hydrogen.

In January 2025, the company entered an MoU with Norwegian energy infrastructure solutions provider Höegh Evi to jointly develop international supply chains for clean hydrogen to be delivered to Germany and other locations in Europe, and in November 2024, it inked a joint study agreement with Brazil’s Eletrobras and Kuwaiti EnerTech to supply Germany with 200,000 tons of green hydrogen per year produced from Brazilian hydropower.

As for ACWA Power’s activities, construction is already underway at the NEOM green hydrogen project, said to be the “world’s first” utility-scale green hydrogen plant, producing 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia annually. The company is also advancing its green hydrogen project in Uzbekistan, with the first phase set to produce 3,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, followed by an expanded second phase. Additionally, Saudi major plans to explore projects aimed at exporting green hydrogen to Europe via the SoutH2 Corridor.