RWE and Westfalen Group have begun work on construction of H₂ tank infrastructure in Lingen. The "H₂ Filling Hub Lingen" comprises a public H₂ refueling station for commercial vehicles at the main gate of the RWE Emsland gas-fired power plant (KEM) and a filling station for tanker vehicles that is not open to the public.

The fuel station and filling line will source their green H₂ from RWE’s 14-megawatt pilot electrolyzer in Lingen, which will commence operations in the near future.

The public H₂ refueling station is aimed at operators of H₂-powered trucks, waste collection vehicles and buses as well as H₂ cars. The filling station will enable companies that sign a purchase agreement with RWE to collect H₂ with tank trailers and transport it to their sites of operation from mid-2025. The first quantities are currently being sold. Interested parties can now register for the first H₂ tender via a web form.

Dr Sopna Sury, COO H₂ at RWE Generation SE said, “Until companies in the region are connected to a H₂ distribution network, our filling infrastructure creates an opportunity for green molecules to reach the customer by road. In this way, we will make green H₂ available as early as 2025 and enable companies to switch their processes to H₂ and achieve their climate targets at an early stage.”

Dr Thomas Perkmann, CEO Westfalen Group said, “The future belongs to H₂ as a raw material and energy source. We are convinced of this. The H₂ refueling station and the neighboring filling station here in Lingen are just the first visible signs of the H₂ cooperation between RWE and Westfalen. Both companies are representative of the industry, which is more than ready for a H₂ ramp-up in Germany.”

The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) with a total of €6 MM as part of the National Innovation Program for H₂ and Fuel Cell Technology. Funding for this measure is also provided as part of the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP) via the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities (ARF) in the NextGenerationEU program. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ). The total investment volume amounts to around €18 MM.

RWE and Westfalen AG are working together to develop and construct the plant. RWE will be the owner, while Westfalen will take charge of operations. The facility in Lingen is the first joint undertaking by the two companies. To expand the H₂ fuel station network in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, RWE and Westfalen Group have set up a joint venture under the name of “two4H2”.

The refueling station can provide up to 500 kg/d of H₂. For comparison: a fuel cell truck consumes up to 10 kg of H₂ per 100 kilometers. The entire system can process over 2,500 kg/d of H₂.