Green hydrogen production gets underway in Lingen
Energy supplier RWE is commissioning a 14-megawatt pilot electrolysis plant in Lingen. The plant is intended to provide insights for large-scale facilities producing green hydrogen.
The plant, located on the site of RWE’s Emsland gas-fired power station, has a capacity of 14 megawatts (MW). Using electricity from renewable sources, it can produce up to 270 kilograms of green hydrogen per hour. With this pilot plant, RWE aims to gain experience with two electrolysis technologies that are important for future large-scale industrial plants. The first large-scale electrolysis plant is already under construction just a few metres away. As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, a 100-MW electrolysis plant is due to come on stream here in 2025, with capacity set to be expanded to 300 MW by 2027.
Markus Krebber, Chief Executive of RWE AG: “Lingen is one of the most exciting locations in Germany’s energy transition. Right next to our flexible gas-fired power station and our state-of-the-art large-scale battery, we are now also producing green hydrogen. Over the next few years, we will further expand green hydrogen production here at the site to supply industrial customers with green molecules and thus support them in their decarbonisation efforts.” Krebber speaks of pioneering work: the hydrogen economy is highly complex. With the core grid, an import strategy, domestic hydrogen production and hydrogen storage facilities, RWE has a clear vision in mind. “Here and now, we can see how part of that is becoming a reality,” said the RWE CEO.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck stated: “By funding hydrogen projects along the entire value chain, we are taking an important step towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy in Germany. I am convinced that electrolysers, such as those here at the Lingen site, make a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition. The green hydrogen produced by these electrolysers is vital for the decarbonisation of industry and the energy sector in Germany.”
Lower Saxony’s Minister-President Stephan Weil emphasised that 50 per cent of the green hydrogen production in Germany recently approved by the EU comes from Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony is set to become a hub for the production, import, storage, transport and use of hydrogen. “We are therefore well on the way to becoming the number one hydrogen region. It will now be crucial to further boost industrial demand and strengthen the framework conditions so that electricity generated from renewable energy sources can be utilised in an even more targeted manner before grid bottlenecks occur, rather than being curtailed,” Weil continued.
Pilot plant paving the way for large-scale facilities
The pilot electrolysiser consists of two sub-plants – an alkali electrolysiser from Sunfire with a capacity of 10 MW and a 4-MW plant designed and built by Linde using a PEM electrolysiser (PEM: proton exchange membrane) from ITM Power.
The hydrogen produced by the pilot plant will initially be blended with the fuel for the gas turbine at Power Station Unit D as part of an extensive on-site testing programme. From mid-2025, hydrogen-powered vehicles at the Emsland gas-fired power station will also be able to refuel with hydrogen from the pilot plant. Construction work on a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen filling station is also underway.
Lingen is a starting point for the roll-out of hydrogen. Together with strong partners, RWE is part of the GET H2 initiative, which aims to establish the first publicly accessible hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. The GET H2 Nukleus project links the production of green hydrogen in Lingen with industrial consumers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The network, which stretches approximately 130 kilometres from Lingen to Gelsenkirchen, is set to become the first hydrogen network in the regulated sector to offer non-discriminatory access and transparent pricing. In this way, the initiative aims to significantly accelerate the roll-out of hydrogen and help companies in industry and the mobility sector to achieve their climate targets.
Source: RWE