RWE has reportedly begun commissioning of the first 100 MW tranche of its flagship electrolyzer project in Lingen, Germany.
The Get H2 Nukleus project, located at RWE’s Lingen gas-fired power plant in Lower Saxony, is designed to reach 300 MW of installed electrolyzer capacity. The configuration combines 200 MW of proton exchange membrane electrolysers supplied by ITM Power with 100 MW of alkaline units from Sunfire, reflecting a deliberate technology diversification strategy as developers and policymakers test scalability, efficiency, and operational reliability at industrial scale. While commissioning has started on the initial 100 MW, commercial operations are not scheduled to begin until 2026, with hydrogen production expected to ramp up in 2027.
Once operational, hydrogen output from Lingen is set to be injected into RWE’s cavern storage facility in Gronau-Epe, a key asset in balancing variable production and enabling steady industrial supply. Salt cavern storage is increasingly viewed as a prerequisite for large-scale hydrogen integration, particularly as Germany transitions from pilot projects to networked supply chains capable of serving refineries, chemical plants, and heavy industry.
The project’s commercial anchor is a 15-year offtake agreement with TotalEnergies, covering 30,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year to displace grey hydrogen at the company’s Leuna refinery. The contract, which runs until 2044, relies on a 600-kilometer section of Germany’s planned hydrogen core network to transport volumes from northwest Germany to central industrial clusters. In principle, the deal aligns with federal objectives to link electrolyzer capacity, storage, and demand through repurposed gas infrastructure.
In practice, the timing reveals a structural tension that extends beyond Lingen. With hydrogen production not expected until 2027, the offtake agreement implies a multi-year gap between contractual commitments and physical supply. It remains unclear how RWE and TotalEnergies intend to manage this interim period, whether through alternative sourcing, delayed volume delivery, or contract flexibility. The uncertainty underscores a broader challenge facing Europe’s hydrogen build-out, where infrastructure, production assets, and demand contracts are often progressing on parallel but imperfectly synchronized timelines.
The Lingen case also highlights the risks embedded in Germany’s hydrogen core network strategy. While repurposing existing gas pipelines reduces costs and accelerates permitting compared with greenfield builds, the network’s phased rollout means that connectivity may lag behind project commissioning. Developers are therefore exposed to market risk if storage and transport options are not fully available when electrolyzers reach operational readiness.
From a policy perspective, the project illustrates both progress and fragility in Germany’s hydrogen transition. Commissioning activity signals that large-scale electrolyzer deployment is moving beyond planning into execution. At the same time, the unresolved offtake gap raises questions about how risk is shared between producers, industrial buyers, and the state, particularly in a market still dependent on subsidies and regulatory support.
