A hydrogen-ready combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant with a nominal capacity of around 800 MW may be built at the Gersteinwerk power plant.
Following intensive technical soundings, RWE has commissioned an Italian-Spanish consortium consisting of Ansaldo Energia and Tecnicas Reunidas to plan the project. The contract signed by the three partners includes approval planning for the power plant as a first step. Work on the planning process is already underway. This is the prerequisite for RWE to be able to start implementing the project as soon as an investment decision has been made.
According to current planning, the plant in Werne could start producing electricity by 2030.
At the time of commissioning, the plant should be able to use a fuel mix with at least 50% hydrogen content, and it is intended to run it entirely on hydrogen at a later stage.
The German government has announced that its power plant strategy will soon create a regulatory framework for tendering hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants. RWE intends to participate in these tenders. According to the recently presented plans for the construction of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany, the Gerstein plant in Werne could be located close to a hydrogen transport pipeline in the future.
Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE, said: “With the approval planning for a hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plant at the Gersteinwerk, we are taking proactive measures to keep the chance of completion by 2030 open. With the construction of the new power plant, we are ready to contribute to green security of supply and thus secure the coal phase-out by 2030. This requires policymakers to quickly make some key decisions. We can only make a final investment decision once the connection of the site to a hydrogen network has been secured and the framework conditions allow for a commercially viable operation of the power plants.”
