Featuring two different electrolysis technologies, the pilot plant is expected to provide valuable insights for developing future industrial-scale hydrogen facilities. The first large commercial electrolyzer plant is already being built just meters away. As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, a 100-MW electrolyzer is set to be commissioned there by 2025, with plans to expand its capacity to 300 MW by 2027.
The pilot electrolyzer consists of two subsystems: a 10-MW alkaline electrolyzer from Sunfire and a 4-MW plant designed and built by Linde, using a PEM electrolyzer from ITM Power.
Initially, the hydrogen produced in the pilot plant will be added to the fuel for the power plant’s Unit D gas turbine as part of a comprehensive test program 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. Construction work for a hydrogen filling station and a trailer filling facility for hydrogen has already commenced
Together with its partners, RWE is part of the GET H2 initiative, which aims to build the first publicly accessible hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. The GET H2 Nukleus project connects the 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 providing non-discriminatory access. Through this initiative, RWE aims to significantly accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and help companies in the industrial and mobility sectors reach their climate targets.
Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, commented: “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.”
