WaWasI

The ThWIC project WaWasI supports sustainable decision-making for the development of green hydrogen infrastructures by placing a particular focus on the availability and management of water resources.

Hydrogen production is considered a key technology for the energy transition in Germany. At the same time, it requires significant amounts of water. In regions with limited water availability, this may lead to competition between industrial users, agriculture and public water supply. The successful expansion of a hydrogen economy therefore requires planning approaches that take water resources, environmental impacts and societal needs into account from the outset.

This is where WaWasI comes in. The project aims to develop an integrated assessment framework for the deployment of green hydrogen infrastructures, considering water availability alongside environmental, regulatory and societal factors. To achieve this, local planning and decision-making processes are being investigated at representative industrial locations in Thuringia (Bad Salzungen and Bad Köstritz) and Saxony-Anhalt (Bitterfeld-Wolfen).

Based on these analyses, a digital assessment tool will be developed that combines water resource data with technical, environmental and social indicators. The tool will support evidence-based decisions for the sustainable siting and development of hydrogen infrastructure projects.

By systematically integrating water resource considerations into hydrogen planning, WaWasI helps to identify suitable locations, minimise potential conflicts over water use and support the sustainable transformation of energy systems.