Germany's Largest Green Hydrogen Plant Online

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Germany's largest green hydrogen electrolyzer has been commissioned by chemicals major BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and Siemens Energy (Munich, Germany.

Located at BASF's main chemicals campus, Ludwigshafen Verbund in the southwest, the 54-megawatt (MW) proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is powered by renewable energy and can produce up to one metric ton of clean hydrogen per hour which will be used as feedstock at the plant. Annually, it has a capacity of 8,000 tons, with the plant housing a total of 72 stacks -- modules in which the actual electrolysis process takes place. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the plant by up to 72,000 metric tons per year. BASF also plans to supply hydrogen for mobility in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan region to "support the development of a hydrogen economy in the area".

The plant took two years to build and is among a number of hydrogen projects that BASF, and other companies it owns, is working on. Industrial Info is tracking 21 projects with an investment value of more than US$4 billion. The largest is the planned 300-MW Ludwigshafen Verbund green hydrogen project with German energy major RWE AG (Essen, Germany). Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.

Udo Philipp, state secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said at the opening: "I am delighted that the federal government's efforts to support the hydrogen economy in Germany are bearing fruit. A flagship project for the integration of hydrogen into a chemical production site has become a reality at the Ludwigshafen site. It is the largest project of its kind in Germany to date, making it an important pioneer as we strive to achieve our climate targets. Through this collaboration, BASF is demonstrating what decarbonization of the industrial sector can look like in practice and inspiring further technological progress."

Germany has the most ambitious production targets in Europe and in its National Hydrogen Strategy, it has set a green hydrogen production target of 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, with an additional 5 GW to be built in 2035-40. It is also embarking on the construction of Europe's largest planned hydrogen network which will span more than 9,000 kilometers (km). The Hydrogen Core Network (HCN) was proposed by Germany's gas transmission system operators (TSOs) last summer and will cost 19.7 billion euro (US$20.5 billion) to build. Commissioning in stages will start this year and continue through to 2032. Industrial Info is tracking 137 green hydrogen-related projects in Germany worth more than US$16 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the report.

Katja Scharpwinkel, a member of BASF SE's board of executive directors and site director at Ludwigshafen, said: "The commissioning of the electrolyzer makes it possible for us to support our customers in achieving their climate targets by offering them products with a lower carbon footprint. At the same time, we are gaining experience at our largest Verbund site with the integration and operation of a system that brings us another step closer to transforming our main plant in Ludwigshafen."

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).