RWE has secured public funding commitment for a 14MW electrolysis test plant in Lingen, in Germany.
The project is slated to start construction in June 2022 and RWE plans to invest €30m in the project with the State of Lower Saxony providing €8m.
The pilot plant will test two electrolysis technologies for planned large-scale hydrogen projects and could be operational from mid-2023.
The electrolysis plant will be located on the site of RWE’s Emsland gas-fired power plant.
Sopna Sury, chief operating officer for hydrogen at RWE Generation, said: “By 2030, RWE will create two gigawatts of its own electrolysis capacity to produce green hydrogen.
“The investment decision for a test facility here in Lingen is trend-setting for us.
“In this way, we want to gain operating experience in the industrial use of the two technologies, which are to be used in the three-digit megawatt range as part of GET H2, for example.
“The finding commitment of the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment contributes significantly to the implementation of this pilot project, which paves the way for future large-scale plants.”
Olaf Lies, Minister for the Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection of the State of Lower Saxony, added: “Here in Lingen, we see a fascinating history of transformation into the future of our energy production. RWE is thus not only showing that it stands by Lingen as an energy location.
“The pilot project is also the first step towards the planned development of large-scale electrolysis capacities here on site.”
RWE wants to test two electrolysis technologies under industrial conditions in the pilot plant.
The Dresden-based manufacturer Sunfire is installing a pressure-alkaline electrolyser with a capacity of 10MW for RWE.
At the same time, Linde, the world’s leading industrial gases and engineering company, is building a 4MW proton exchange membrane electrolyser (PEM).
RWE will be the owner and operator of the entire plant in Lingen.
After obtaining approval and the construction phase, the electrolysis plant will generate up to 290 kilograms of green hydrogen per hour from spring 2023 using green electricity.
The trial operation is initially designed for three years, with the option of another year.
The hydrogen produced in this way is to be fed into a public hydrogen network or added to the fuel for gas turbines of the power plant.
It could also supply the hydrogen-capable gas turbine, which RWE and Kawasaki are planning to build in Lingen by 2024.
As part of the GET H2 project, RWE plans to build a first 100MW electrolysis plant in Lingen by 2024, expanding to 300MW by 2026.