Hydrogen is on the rise! The pilot electrolyser plant in Lingen was inaugurated by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, Lower Saxony’s Minister President Stephan Weil, and Lower Saxony’s Minister for the Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection from RWE.

Source: RWE

The facility located at RWE's Emsland gas-fired power plant has a 14-megawatt (MW) capacity. It has the capability to produce up to 270 kilograms of green hydrogen per hour using renewable energy sources. With two different electrolysis technologies, this pilot plant aims to offer valuable insights for the development of future large-scale hydrogen facilities. Adjacent to it, the construction of the first major commercial electrolyzer plant has already begun. As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, a 100-MW electrolyzer is scheduled for completion by 2025, with plans to increase its capacity to 300 MW by 2027.

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. 

The Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection has allocated eight million euros in funding for the recently activated pilot electrolyser. Additionally, the company has secured funding exceeding 490 million euros from both the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony to develop the 300-MW electrolyser within the GET H2 Nukleus project.

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.

The pilot electrolyser comprises two sub-systems: a 10 MW capacity alkaline electrolyser from Sunfire and a 4 MW plant created by Linde, utilizing a PEM electrolyser (PEM stands for proton exchange membrane) from ITM Power.

At first, the hydrogen generated in the pilot plant will be incorporated into the fuel for the gas turbine of unit D in the power plant as a part of an extensive testing initiative on-site. Starting from mid-2025, it will also be feasible to refuel hydrogen-powered vehicles with hydrogen produced at the pilot plant situated at the Emsland gas-fired power plant. The groundwork for a hydrogen filling station and a trailer filling facility for hydrogen has already begun.

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.

In collaboration with strong partners, RWE is involved in the GET H2 initiative, which aims to establish the first publicly accessible hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. The GET H2 Nukleus project links green hydrogen production facilities in Lingen to industrial consumers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The 130 km grid from Lingen to Gelsenkirchen is set to become the first hydrogen grid in the regulated sector, offering transparent prices and inclusive access. This initiative aims to significantly speed up the growth of the hydrogen economy and support industrial and mobility companies in achieving their climate goals.