RWE has commissioned a 14MW pilot electrolyser on the site of the Emsland gas-fired power plant at Lingen in Lower Saxony, as part of a wider project to develop one of Germany’s largest green hydrogen hubs.

The pilot project consists of two sub-systems: a 10MW alkaline unit from German manufacturer Sunfire and a 4MW PEM system supplied by the UK’s ITM Power.

The plant’s output of 270kg/hour will initially be used to test the blending of hydrogen with natural gas to fuel one of the power plant’s main turbines.

Crucially, Germany-based RWE will use the project to gain insight into the development and operation of industrial-scale systems at the Lingen site, which is expected to become a pivotal location for Germany’s hydrogen economy.

RWE and its partners in the GET H2 Nukleus project aim to commission a 100MW electrolyser at the site by 2025, with a potential expansion to 300MW by 2027.

Construction of a hydrogen filling station and a trailer filling facility at the site has also started, with a target startup of mid-2025.

Hydrogen produced at Lingen will be piped to industrial consumers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia via a planned 130km grid system.

“Lingen is one of the most exciting locations of the German energy transition,” said Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE. “Over the coming years, we will expand our production capacities for green hydrogen at this site further to supply industrial consumers with green molecules and thus support them in their decarbonisation efforts.”

Government backing

The pilot project at Lingen has secured 8m of public funding from the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection. The large-scale electrolyser project has secured a combined 490m from Germany’s federal government and from Lower Saxony.

“I am convinced that electrolysers like this one here in Lingen will make an important contribution towards a successful energy transition,” said Robert Habeck, federal minister for economic Affairs and climate action. “The green hydrogen generated in the electrolysers here will be a key component for the decarbonisation of industry and the energy sector in Germany.”

---

Author: Razel Ahmed