The first electrolyser modules for producing hydrogen have arrived at the building site at the Emsland gas-fired power station, nine months after the ground was broken for RWE’s pilot hydrogen plant.
Eight Sunfire pressurized alkaline electrolyser modules with a 10 megawatt (MW) capacity arrived at the site over the course of four days on articulated vehicles. The 15-ton components were placed in a specially constructed hall by a gantry crane on rails. Groups of four components will be assembled to form stacks almost 10 meters high.
Engineers will build the 10 MW pressurized alkaline facility within the pilot plant and connect it with the Emsland gas-fired power station’s infrastructure in the upcoming weeks. In the near future, a 4 MW Linde PEM electrolyser will be transported to a nearby building to complete the pilot plant.
This autumn is when the facility is anticipated to open. It will be able to produce up to 290 kg of green hydrogen per hour using electricity from renewable sources. The hydrogen will be used as a fuel for turbines at the power plant or sent into a public hydrogen network as a climate-neutral alternative to gas. In the future, it might also be used to fuel the hydrogen-capable gas turbine that RWE and Kawasaki want to build in Lingen as well as the mobility sector.
The initiative will get €8 million in funding from the Lower Saxony state of Germany. In order to implement its first industrial-scale electrolyser facility as part of the GET H2 project, RWE will set up shop just a few meters from the pilot hydrogen plant in Lingen. Thereafter, by 2026, its capacity will increase by 100 MW increments to 300 MW. Working with partner organizations to begin developing a supraregional hydrogen infrastructure is GET H2’s main goal.
When it comes to hydrogen, RWE has all the options available under one roof, including knowledge of creating and storing green hydrogen as well as its Supply & Trading division, which can make the fuel available to satisfy the needs of industrial customers. RWE is actively engaged in more than 30 hydrogen initiatives with powerful partners.
