“Placing this order, we are increasing our financial exposure to meet the target dates for GET H2. We are determined to make a tangible contribution to the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy by commissioning our plant in time, and are waiting for confirmation from Brussels. In the IPCEI procedure, we now need clear decisions from the EU Commission as soon as possible. Only then can we press ahead with our planning and secure a final investment decision.”
With almost two years left until the target date, GET H2, one of the most advanced hydrogen projects in Germany, is picking up the pace. RWE has ordered two 100-megawatt proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers from Linde Engineering, the world’s leading industrial gas plant engineering company.
RWE plans to commission the first of the two plants in 2024 on the site of its gas-fired power plant in Lingen. The second plant is scheduled to start operating one year later. The two electrolysers are part of RWE’s efforts to build a total of 300 MW of electrolyser capacity in Lingen by 2026 as part of GET H2. Using electricity from renewable sources, the electrolysers will produce green hydrogen for industrial customers.
As production of electrolyser stack modules of this size takes several months, they must be ordered well in advance. GET H2 is one of RWE’s four hydrogen projects that have been shortlisted for funding for ”Important Projects of Common European Interest“ (IPCEI) since May 2021. Approval by the EU Commission under state aid law (notification) is pending for funding by the German government and the state of Lower Saxony.
Nevertheless, RWE has now placed the order to ensure that the commissioning dates in 2024 and 2025 are still achievable in the event of approval under state aid law. These deadlines would be impossible to meet if there were further delay.
This does not yet imply a final investment decision. It is therefore all the more important for RWE to receive the notification soon.
The aim of the GET H2 joint initiative with national and European partners is to create the necessary critical mass to build a supra-regional hydrogen infrastructure and develop a hydrogen market in Europe.
As part of its “Growing Green” strategy, RWE has announced its intention to build at least 2 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity for the production of green hydrogen by 2030. RWE is involved in more than 30 projects worldwide at all stages of the hydrogen value chain. The company is one of the world’s leading producers of electricity from renewable sources. In addition, the company specialises in the production and storage of green hydrogen. RWE’s energy trading business can provide hydrogen to industrial customers on demand.