RWE commissions 14MW pilot electrolyser plant in Germany

Global green energy player RWE has launched its pilot electrolyser plant in Lingen, Germany, as it was inaugurated by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck.

RWE said that the electrolyser facility on the site of its Emsland gas-fired power plant has a capacity of 14 MW and it can generate up to 270 kilogrammes of green hydrogen per hour using electricity from renewable sources.

Featuring two different electrolysis technologies, the pilot electrolyser plant is to provide valuable insights for developing future industrial-scale hydrogen facilities. The first large commercial electrolyser plant is already being built only metres away.

RWE held that as part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, a 100-MW electrolyser is to be commissioned there by 2025, with its capacity to be expanded to 300 MW by 2027.

Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE, held “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.” He added that the hydrogen economy is extremely complex. With the core grid, an import strategy, domestic hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage facilities the company has a target picture of the future.

Minister Robert Habeck said, “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.”

The Lower Government provided eight million euros in funding for the pilot electrolyser of RWE. The company has also been granted funding from the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony of over 490 million euros for constructing the 300-MW electrolyser as part of the GET H2 Nukleus project.

Pilot plant to gain valuable insights into developing & operating industrial-scale systems

The pilot electrolyser consists of two sub-systems – an alkaline electrolyser from Sunfire with a capacity of 10 MW and a 4 MW plant, designed and built by Linde using a PEM electrolyser from ITM Power.

Initially, the hydrogen produced in the pilot plant is to be added to the fuel for the power plant’s unit D gas turbine as part of a comprehensive test programme at the site. From mid-2025, it will also be possible to fill hydrogen-powered vehicles with hydrogen from the pilot plant at the Emsland gas-fired power plant. The construction work for a hydrogen filling station and a trailer filling facility for hydrogen has already commenced.

RWE believes that Lingen is a starting point for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Germany.