Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt Produces Green Hydrogen for the First Time

November 13, 2026

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(Uniper) 30-megawatt electrolysis reaches important milestone – full commissioning scheduled for completion by 2027. ... At the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt, Green Hydrogen has been produced in the 30-megawatt electrolysis plant for the first time. The electrolysis plant, jointly operated by Uniper and VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V), is the heart of the hydrogen production process: it uses renewable electricity from the connected wind farm to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The Energiepark is now entering the phase in which the components of the overall system will be tested together. This brings the planned industrial use of Green Hydrogen, set to begin in 2027, one step closer.

30 MW for hydrogen production

The pressurized alkaline electrolyzer consists of three modules, each with a capacity of ten megawatts. Each module comprises two so-called stacks, where the electrochemical conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen takes place.

Construction of the large-scale electrolyzer began with the official groundbreaking in June 2023. With the first hydrogen production now underway, a decisive stage has begun on the path toward integrated operation of the Energiepark: the technical foundation for hydrogen production has been established, and the focus now shifts to the interaction with the other components of the value chain.

Dual expertise from production to marketing

Uniper and VNG H&V jointly manage the construction and operation of the large-scale electrolysis plant through their joint venture, Elektrolyse Mitteldeutschland GmbH (EMG). Uniper contributes its international experience in developing hydrogen projects along the entire value chain. With its expertise in wholesale gas trading, VNG H&V is responsible for marketing the hydrogen produced at the Energiepark, thereby supporting the development of trading and sales structures for this new energy carrier.

With the production of the first hydrogen, we are moving closer to our shared goal of converting renewable energy into an energy carrier that can be used by industry. These first molecules of hydrogen are a first indication of what is to come: around 3,000 tonnes of hydrogen that our anchor customer will purchase and use in industrial applications next year. The testing phase now getting underway is an important step in bringing the individual components together and paving the way for future supply.

Konstantin von Oldenburg, Managing Director of VNG H&V

The hydrogen economy needs more than electrolyzers. It needs functioning links between renewable power generation and industrial customers. That is exactly what we are working on in Bad Lauchstädt. Producing the first hydrogen is an important milestone. The key now is to ensure that the entire process chain operates reliably.

Holger Kreetz, COO of Uniper

The hydrogen economy will take off where production, infrastructure and industrial demand come together in close proximity. Regional clusters like these can provide the starting point for a growing hydrogen market. Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt offers all the key conditions needed to make this happen. Here, we can test how the different elements of the value chain work together in practice and gain valuable experience that can also support the development of further regional hydrogen clusters.

Hans-Joachim Polk, CTO of VNG AG

From wind farm to refinery

The Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt brings together the entire hydrogen value chain at a single site. The connected wind farm has an installed capacity of around 50 megawatts and supplies renewable electricity for the electrolysis process.

For onward transport, the project uses a roughly 25-kilometer former natural gas pipeline owned by ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, which has been converted for hydrogen use. In the future, the hydrogen is intended to be used industrially at TotalEnergies’ refinery in Leuna. The next step is to optimize the interaction between power generation, electrolysis, gas processing and transport under real operating conditions, and to align the technical processes with one another.

With the first hydrogen production, an important technical step has thus been achieved: the overall project is moving closer to its goal of supplying Green Hydrogen on an industrial scale. Full commissioning of the integrated hydrogen system is scheduled for completion in 2027.

About the project

Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt is a large-scale real-world laboratory for the production of green hydrogen as well as its storage, transport, marketing and use. As a real-world laboratory for the energy transition, it is the first project to test the entire green hydrogen value chain on an industrial scale.

A 30 MW large-scale electrolyser supplied by Sunfire uses renewable electricity from the nearby wind farm to produce green hydrogen. The hydrogen is transported via a repurposed gas pipeline and fed into the hydrogen network serving the chemical industry in Central Germany, with future applications also envisaged in urban mobility.

In this way, the real-world laboratory is helping to research green hydrogen technologies and advance them towards market readiness, contributing to the development of a technologically strong and future-oriented hydrogen region in Central Germany and to successful sector coupling across Germany.

The project partners are investing a total of €210 million. This includes €44 million in funding under the “Reallabor der Energiewende” (Real-World Laboratory for the Energy Transition) programme as part of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s (BMWE) 7th Energy Research Programme.

About the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt project partners

Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH has been developing and implementing turnkey wind and photovoltaic projects for more than 30 years. Its extensive experience as a planner, investor, operator and asset manager enables the company to manage the entire project development process, from site selection through to turnkey delivery, drawing on its own expertise throughout the individual project phases. In addition, the company operates nationally and internationally as a service provider and technical consultant and can draw on experience from more than 300 projects involving over 1,500 wind turbines.

VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH, headquartered in Leipzig, provides reliable and flexible gas supplies to domestic and international trading companies, distributors, municipal utilities, power plant operators and industrial customers. Innovative products, a wide range of services and tailored solutions provide comprehensive support for the further development of energy supply and the implementation of energy-sector transformation processes. With sales offices across Germany and neighbouring countries, investments and business relationships throughout large parts of Europe, and as a company of VNG AG, VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH is close to its customers and well positioned internationally.

VNG Gasspeicher GmbH (VGS) is Germany’s third-largest storage operator, with around 31 terawatt-hours (TWh) of usable storage capacity. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Leipzig-based VNG AG, VGS has almost 50 years of experience in the construction and operation of underground gas storage facilities and the associated technological processes. VGS’s core business is the operation of storage facilities and the marketing of storage capacity.

ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH operates the 7,700-kilometre transmission network in eastern Germany and is responsible for the reliable and efficient transport of gaseous energy, today and in the future. We are actively helping to shape the energy market of the future, contributing ideas and developing sustainable solutions for our infrastructure. In doing so, we rely on reliable technology, many years of experience and our most important asset: a dedicated team. Our gas infrastructure is compatible with renewable gases and therefore supports a wide range of hydrogen applications, including industrial feedstock, mobility and heating. To prepare our infrastructure for a renewable gas supply, we are planning and implementing numerous projects together with partner companies.

DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg is an independent research institute of DVGW, the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water. Through numerous projects, it conducts research across the entire supply chain for gaseous energy carriers. Since 2005, DBI has worked on numerous projects focusing on the integration of green hydrogen. Its expertise ranges from technological aspects of underground gas storage and transport to gas quality assurance, hydrogen technologies for industrial and residential applications, and their impact on the German and European energy supply system.

VNG is a group of more than 20 companies operating across Europe with around 2,000 employees. As an importer, wholesaler and operator of critical gas infrastructure, VNG makes an important contribution to secure gas supplies in Germany. At the same time, the company is committed to decarbonising the energy system. Against this backdrop, VNG is making targeted investments in biogas and hydrogen, expanding hydrogen-ready infrastructure and thereby gradually creating the conditions needed to scale up renewable and low-carbon gases in Germany and Europe.

About Uniper

Düsseldorf-based Uniper is a European energy company with global reach. With around 7,000 employees, the company plays a central role in ensuring a secure energy supply in Europe – particularly in its core markets of Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. With 18.5 gigawatts of power generation capacity, Uniper is the backbone of reliable electricity production. As a leading gas trader and one of Northwestern Europe’s most important LNG importers, Uniper strengthens supply security with a broad procurement portfolio. Through investments in renewable energy, hydrogen, and other low-carbon energy carriers, Uniper is also driving the transformation of the energy system.

In its home market, Germany, Uniper supplies around 1,000 municipalities and industrial companies with energy and services. In addition, Uniper is Germany’s largest operator of gas storage facilities and hydropower plants. READ MORE