UNIPER: Engineering Europe’s Energy Transition
Uniper, Germany’s powerful European energy player, is investing heavily in infrastructure and partnerships to drive energy security, energy transition, and energy innovation. 2026 has been a transformative year for the business with a number of contracts signed, a number of infrastructure projects underway, all within a quickly changing market that requires pioneering thinking.
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Europe is rebuilding its energy system while keeping the lights on. The International Energy Agency notes that renewable deployment is at a record high, even as governments treat energy security as a top priority. The European Commission, meanwhile, aims to cut net emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050, with energy accounting for more than 75% of the bloc’s emissions. Delivering that change takes companies that combine secure supply with serious investment, and Uniper is among the most prominent.
Uniper began life in 2016 as a spin-off from E.ON, created to run conventional power generation and global energy trading. The company went through a turbulent period during the 2022 energy crisis, when the German federal government became its majority shareholder to safeguard supply. Today the Düsseldorf-headquartered business has emerged as a stable, strategic player with around 7,000 employees and key markets in Germany, Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands.
The scale of the portfolio explains its standing. Uniper operates around 18.5 GW of generating capacity across gas, hydrogen, hydro, wind and solar. It is one of Europe’s largest midstream gas players, supplying roughly 20% of German gas demand, and one of the largest importers of LNG in North-West Europe. It operates about 80 TWh of gas storage, is Germany’s largest hydropower operator at around two gigawatts, and runs nuclear and hydro plants in Sweden, alongside an energy trading business serving the continent.
That foundation now supports a clear transformation strategy, backed by planned investment of around €5 billion through to 2030. Uniper is phasing out coal at Scholven, adding 160 MW of pumped storage at Happurg, developing flexible low-carbon power at Connah’s Quay in the UK, and building industrial-scale green hydrogen at Bad Lauchstädt.
LONG-TERM PARTNERS
The company’s approach is clear in the agreements it has signed this year. In August, the company secured a long-term gas supply contract with Equinor for more than 30 TWh of Norwegian natural gas a year, running for 15 years from 2027 to 2041. The deal diversifies Uniper’s portfolio and underpins supplies for its German customers. “We are pleased to extend our long-standing partnership with Uniper,” said Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor. “This agreement demonstrates the strong demand for reliable, long-term gas supplies from the Norwegian continental shelf, which delivers energy and industrial feedstock with a lower carbon footprint than alternative gas supply. It further strengthens Equinor’s role as a trusted long-term energy partner to Europe.”
Renewables are advancing at the same time as critical offtake agreements are secured highlighting the commercial possibility in the renewable space. In June, Uniper signed its first ever offshore wind power purchase agreement with Skyborn Renewables, committing to buy 100 MW from the Gennaker project in the German Baltic Sea. The initial term is 10 years with an option to extend, and once operational the wind farm is expected to supply roughly one million households a year. “Concluding our first ever offshore wind PPA demonstrates our transformation strategy in action,” said Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper. “Offshore wind from the German Baltic Sea will add domestically produced low-carbon power to our diverse portfolio. This is a deliberate step to strengthen the resilience of our energy system for the long term.”
In July, the company signed six-year power purchase agreements with Respect Energy for electricity and Guarantees of Origin from four of its Polish solar assets, with a combined capacity of 219 MWp and deliveries expected from 2028. “This agreement demonstrates how we consistently aim to implement our transformation strategy and further extend our renewable energy footprint across Europe,” explained Iulia Tica, CEO Uniper Renewables. “The four Polish solar projects will directly contribute to decarbonizing the national energy system while strengthening Uniper’s role in delivering reliable, clean power. Partnerships like this accelerate the energy transition and provide stability to the market.”
The most recent agreement looks furthest ahead. In September, Uniper signed a long-term deal with Arcadia eFuels to buy 40,000 tonnes of eSAF a year from Project Endor in Vordingborg, Denmark, with supply planned from the early 2030s. The fuel can deliver up to 98% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel, and the volume equals roughly 1000 Boeing 787-9 flights a year between Düsseldorf and Abu Dhabi.
“Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, and liquid fuels will remain essential for decades,” said Lewis. “The key challenge now is to move sustainable aviation fuels from promising projects to industrial scale. This agreement brings long-term demand and new supply together, helping to create the conditions for a competitive European eSAF market. For Uniper, it is also an important step in building a strong position in a market with significant growth potential.”
For Arcadia, the partnership is equally significant. “This agreement with Uniper is a foundational step in Arcadia eFuels’ commercial journey,” said Amy Hebert, CEO of Arcadia eFuels. “Securing long-term offtake from a sophisticated energy partner like Uniper validates our solution, de-risks our capital strategy, and accelerates our path to production at scale. eSAF is not only a fuel of the future – it is a present-day answer to the aviation sector’s demand for diversification of supply, and today’s agreement brings that solution meaningfully closer to expanding production within the EU.”
Political leaders were in attendance at the contract signing, showing the level at which these partnerships deliver impact. “This long-term supply agreement for sustainable aviation fuel from Denmark is more than just a supply agreement – it is a building block for a climate-neutral future and strengthens Europe’s competitiveness,” said Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Deputy Minister-President. “I am particularly pleased that part of this story is being written here today in North Rhine-Westphalia. Long-term partnerships like this one provide planning certainty across national borders, especially in uncertain times. This agreement can be seen as a strong signal at a larger scale: The energy transition is happening.”
RENEWED SITES
Uniper is also investing in the infrastructure it already owns. The clearest example is Wilhelmshaven, where the 777 MW hard coal station, commissioned in 1976, closed in December 2021 as part of the coal phase-out. Contractors took over decommissioning in October, with work due to finish by the end of 2029. “Behind 50 years of the power station’s history lie generations of dedicated colleagues,” said Nicolai Bülles, Site Manager at Wilhelmshaven. “They have managed the decommissioning responsibly whilst at the same time paving the way for the site’s future. For this, they deserve our deepest thanks and respect.”
That future is already taking shape. A solar park of about 17 MWp is nearing completion on the former ash tip, and a battery energy storage system is under construction, with 26 batteries due for delivery imminently. “With the delivery of the batteries, we are reaching an important milestone in the construction of our battery energy storage system in Wilhelmshaven,” said Harald Poppinga, Project Manager BESS. “The facility demonstrates how we are consistently developing this long-established energy hub to meet the demands of an increasingly renewable energy system. With a capacity of 50 MW or 100 MWh, the battery storage facility will make a significant contribution to flexibility and stability in the electricity grid in future.”
Plans also include a large-scale electrolysis plant producing renewable hydrogen from offshore electricity, and a training centre for young people and energy transition upskilling.
NORTHSTARH2
In Sweden, Uniper is underway with one of its flagship projects, NorthStarH2. From Östersund in the country’s north, Uniper will produce e-methanol as a replacement for traditional fossil fuels in the shipping and chemical industries. By blending hydrogen with biogenic carbon dioxide, e-methanol is created to contribute to decarbonisation of various industries. The project captures carbon dioxide from a local bioenergy plant before being mixed with green hydrogen produced from an electrolyser powered by renewable electricity.
The project is advancing quickly and entered the basic engineering stage in August 2026. Partnerships with key industry partners, including AFRY, have helped to drive progress. After announcing contract awards worth more than SEK100 million, the FID is expected imminently, with the goal of eventually producing 115,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually.
“We are aiming for the financial decision sometime in mid-2028 after a long development period. These projects are innovative in their nature and inherently require more time for even simple tasks,” says Project Manager, Broghan Helgeson. “In power plants, which Uniper has done very well historically, we have a very clear procurement strategy and a very clear technical specification. Everything is prepared and you can almost take a gas powerplant blueprint off the shelf. In this case, a lot of the fundamentals need to be developed for the first time. Our procurement strategy for an e-methanol plant is still being defined for the company and industry, and it takes time.
“We hope to go into commissioning by 2031, but we are still, as part of our FEED works, defining our execution timeline.”
Sweden is a big part of the Uniper business and is a cornerstone of the group, with more than 70 hydropower plants and a small number of nuclear projects. “In general, NorthStarH2 is our lighthouse project for the Swedish business, and we have a very strong reputation and footprint across the country,” says Helgeson.
“The most important milestone in the project is finding a customer and having that customer commit. Regulators need to create a balanced a fair playing field to bridge the gap between the expectations of the customers and what projects like NorthStarH2 need to be successful. The project has a 25-year technical lifetime, and we need to secure our business case for as much of that period as possible.,” she adds.
The supply chain is already developing and relationships are built on trust and local and sector expertise. “Northern Sweden has extreme weather conditions and unique ground conditions and so it goes without saying that we need partners who are experienced in these climates,” Helgeson explains. “We are exploring a completely new industry landscape and there is a lot of uncertainty. In order to be successful, we need and value close collaboration and partnerships. We share a mindset and trust with several local companies, the municipality, and the community, and we partner with AFRY who is helping us greatly to prepare for the next phase. We always seek to build lasting relationships and have a ‘one team’ approach.”
From Norwegian gas to Baltic wind, Polish solar, Danish eSAF, and Swedish e-methanol, Uniper is building long-term relationships that give the market stability while the energy system changes. By reinvesting in existing sites as well as new technologies, it is showing how a long-established energy business can be made fit for a renewable future.