Berlin Assumes Chair of Initiative Wasserstoff Ostdeutschland e.V.
Created by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises
The Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises assumed the chairmanship of the Initiative for Hydrogen in East Germany (IWO) at the beginning of December. This means the chairmanship has rotated from Thuringia to Berlin as scheduled. The IWO is a joint platform of the six eastern German federal states to advance the hydrogen economy across state lines, identify infrastructure needs and consolidate regional expertise. The initiative aims to make hydrogen a central component of a sustainable energy transition in eastern Germany and to efficiently promote the use of existing potential.
Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises: “Our goal is to make Berlin climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest. Hydrogen will play a central role. By assuming the chairmanship of the Initiative for Hydrogen in East Germany, we are actively shaping the development of the hydrogen economy in the East. Together with the other eastern German states, we will advance the hydrogen economy in a targeted way and make Berlin—and all of eastern Germany—a key region for this future technology, which reduces CO2 emissions and secures jobs.”
Green hydrogen will play a decisive role in decarbonizing Berlin’s energy and heat supply. In particular, district heating—which provides a major share of the city’s heat supply—should be made climate-neutral through the development of a robust hydrogen infrastructure.
“A fast, reliable, and affordable transition to low-carbon heating can only be achieved by building a robust hydrogen infrastructure and swiftly connecting Berlin’s initial hydrogen network to the national hydrogen core grid. For that to succeed, dependable political framework conditions from the federal government and the EU are required,” said Franziska Giffey.
About the Initiative Wasserstoff Ostdeutschland
The Initiative Wasserstoff Ostdeutschland was launched in 2023 by the heads of government of Germany’s eastern federal states and formally established as an association in 2024 to strengthen cooperation between industry, research, public administration, and policymakers on hydrogen. The chair of the IWO rotates annually according to the rotation system of the Eastern Conference of Minister-Presidents. The IWO’s secretariat, led by managing director Dominik Härle, began operations in early 2025 and is located in a property of Berliner Energie und Netzholding GmbH.
