RWE has officially commissioned a 14 MW pilot electrolyser at its Emsland gas-fired power plant in Lingen, marking a significant milestone in Germany’s energy transition.
The event was attended by key political figures, including Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, and Lower Saxony’s Minister President, Stephan Weil, along with the state’s Minister for the Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection.
Details of the Pilot Electrolyser Facility
The newly commissioned electrolyser facility at Lingen is capable of producing up to 270 kg/h of green hydrogen, utilizing electricity generated from renewable sources.
The plant incorporates two distinct electrolysis technologies, providing critical insights that will inform the development of future industrial-scale hydrogen production facilities.
Notably, a large commercial electrolyser is already under construction nearby as part of the GET H2 Nukleus project. This project aims to commission a 100 MW electrolyser by 2025, with plans to expand its capacity to 300 MW by 2027.
Strategic Importance of Lingen in Germany’s Energy Transition
Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, highlighted Lingen’s pivotal role in Germany’s energy transition: “Lingen is one of the most exciting locations of the German energy transition.
In addition to operating our flexible gas-fired power plant and our state-of-the-art large-scale battery system, we are now also producing green hydrogen here.
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.
Together with our partner companies, our teams are pioneering these innovative technologies here.
The hydrogen economy is extremely complex. With the core grid, an import strategy, domestic hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage facilities, we have a target picture of the future. We can see a part of this vision becoming reality here and now.”
Government Support and Collaboration
Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, emphasized the importance of government support for hydrogen development: “By supporting hydrogen along the entire value chain, we are taking an important step towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy in Germany. The federal government and state governments are collaborating closely to create the right conditions for climate-neutral economic growth. I am convinced that electrolysers like this one here in Lingen will make an important contribution towards a successful energy transition. The green hydrogen generated in the electrolysers here will be a key component for the decarbonisation of industry and the energy sector in Germany.”
Lower Saxony’s Leadership in Hydrogen Technology
Stephan Weil, Minister President of Lower Saxony, praised the pioneering work being done in Lingen: “The pioneering work that is being done in Lingen is exemplary. Here, we see how industry can be decarbonised successfully in an impressive manner. The production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale supported financially by us as the state government here at RWE, is a key prerequisite for successfully transforming our energy supply and our industry towards becoming climate neutral. Within Germany, the state of Lower Saxony is leading the way in terms of investments in this technology. 50 per cent of Germany’s green hydrogen production as recently approved by the EU is to come from Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony is to become a hub for producing, importing, storing, transporting, and using hydrogen. We are thus on a good trajectory towards developing into Germany’s number-one hydrogen state. Now, it is important to grow the industrial demand for hydrogen further and create the best-possible conditions for utilising electricity from renewable sources in an even more targeted manner rather than having to curtail production in order to prevent congestion on the electricity grids.”
Financial Support and Technological Specifications
The Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection has provided €8 million in funding for the pilot electrolyser.
Additionally, RWE has secured over €490 million in funding from both the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony to construct the 300 MW electrolyser as part of the GET H2 Nukleus project.
The pilot electrolyser comprises two sub-systems: a 10 MW alkaline electrolyser from Sunfire and a 4 MW plant designed and built by Linde, using a proton exchange membrane electrolyser from ITM Power.
Initially, the green hydrogen produced at the pilot plant will be used as fuel for the power plant’s unit D gas turbine as part of an extensive test program. Starting in mid-2025, the hydrogen produced will also be available for hydrogen-powered vehicles, with construction already underway for a hydrogen filling station and a trailer filling facility at the Emsland site.
Lingen’s Role in the Hydrogen Economy
RWE is collaborating with strong partners in the GET H2 initiative to establish the first publicly accessible hydrogen infrastructure in Germany.
The GET H2 Nukleus project aims to connect green hydrogen production facilities in Lingen with industrial consumers across Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The 130 km hydrogen grid, stretching from Lingen to Gelsenkirchen, will become the first regulated hydrogen grid with transparent pricing and non-discriminatory access.
Through this initiative, RWE and its partners seek to accelerate the growth of the hydrogen economy and support companies in the industrial and mobility sectors in meeting their climate goals.