As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, RWE is building a 300-megawatt plant for producing green H₂ on the site of its gas-fired power plant in Lingen. Two of the three electrolyzers with a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) each which are due to be installed there had already been ordered by RWE from Linde Engineering and the electrolyzer manufacturer ITM Power in 2022. Now RWE has commissioned Sunfire and Bilfinger to build the third construction phase. The contract amount is in the low hundred-million-euro range.

Sunfire is to supply a 100-MW alkaline electrolyzer. The company is already a contract partner of RWE. A 10-MW alkaline electrolyzer by the Dresden company is part of a pilot plant on the site of the Emsland gas-fired power plant, where RWE is currently testing two electrolysis technologies (PEM and alkaline).

Bilfinger will be the solution partner for the integration of electrolysis. To this end, Bilfinger is taking on extensive planning tasks as well as the delivery and installation of the ancillary process technology systems such as water and H₂ treatment, compression and control technology.

The contracts were signed just days after the final investment decision on RWE’s largest H₂ project to date was made. The green light to build the plant was given after funding had been granted by the German government and the State of Lower Saxony.

Dr Sopna Sury, COO H2 at RWE Generation SE said, “The construction work for the first 200 megawatts of electrolyzer capacity is progressing well. We have now contracted Sunfire and Bilfinger to deliver the elements for the next phase of the project, which is to be commissioned in 2027. This is sending out a strong signal to companies that are planning to switch their processes to green H₂. With the pipeline and storage infrastructure of other GET H2 partners being built in parallel, we will soon be able to supply green H₂ in line with market requirements and in a structured manner.”

Nils Aldag, CEO Sunfire said, “RWE relies on Sunfire as an established electrolysis specialist for the realization of large-scale industrial projects. We are delighted about this renewed vote of confidence and look forward to further expanding our proven partnership with RWE. Sunfire is one of the few companies in the world already realizing electrolyzers on an industrial scale. With an order backlog of over 800 megawatts, we are a favored partner for large-scale projects.”

Dr Thomas Schulz, Bilfinger Group CEO said, “The additional electrolysis plant in Lingen is another key building block in the transformation of our energy system towards efficient and sustainable technologies. We are very pleased about the cooperation with RWE and the opportunity to make a decisive contribution to the successful implementation of this forward-looking plant with our expertise in the field of H₂.”

As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, RWE collaborates primarily with the grid operators Nowega and OGE to connect its production facilities for green H₂ to industrial consumers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2025, the energy company is to commission its first 100-MW electrolyzer. The capacity of the plants is to be expanded in 100-MW increments to 300 MW by 2027.

From 2027, H₂ from Lingen will also be able to be fed into a H₂ cavern storage facility being built by RWE Gas Storage West in Gronau-Epe. In this way, green H₂ can be supplied flexibly in line with demand from industrial consumers.