Electrolyser modules arrive at RWE's 14MW hydrogen pilot in Germany
Pamela Largue
Posted on: 3 April 2023
RWE has announced that the first electrolyser modules for generating hydrogen have arrived at the construction site at the Emsland gas-fired power station.
Energy company RWE has announced that the first electrolyser modules for generating hydrogen have arrived at the construction site at the Emsland gas-fired power station.
The Emsland plant is a 1,828MW combined-cycle gas and steam turbine (CCGT) plant in Lingen, Germany, and is home to RWE's hydrogen pilot.
Over a period of four days, articulated lorries delivered eight pressurised alkaline electrolyser modules with a capacity of 10MW.
The electrolyser modules were manufactured by German clean technology firm Sunfire.
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According to RWE, a gantry crane on rails lifted the components, each weighing 15 tonnes, into place in a specially erected hall where they will be combined in groups of four to create stacks almost ten metres high.
Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen RWE Generation, comments: “With the arrival of the first electrolyser, we have come another step closer to our goal of producing green hydrogen. Once it has been commissioned, the Lingen plant will help us to build up experience with two technologies for the subsequent operation of large-scale electrolysers.”
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In the coming weeks, engineers will install and integrate the 10MW pressurised alkaline facility at the Emsland gas-fired power station, after which a 4MW Linde PEM electrolyser will be delivered to an adjacent building to complete the pilot plant.
The facility is expected to go into operation this autumn and once operational will be able to generate up to 290 kilograms of green hydrogen every hour.
The hydrogen will be fed into a public hydrogen network or mixed with gas to fuel the turbines at the power plant.
In the future, it could also be used to supply the mobility market and the hydrogen-ready gas turbine being planned for construction in Lingen by RWE and Kawasaki.
Next to the Lingen location, RWE plans to set up its first large-scale electrolyser facility as part of the GET H2 project. The GET H2 aims to encourage collaboration with partner entities to develop a supraregional hydrogen infrastructure.
