RWE Acquires Land for Green Hydrogen Plant on Teesside

March 25, 2024

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by Amber Rolt (Business Green) RWE's hydrogen project aims to create opportunities for green investment, jobs, and local economic benefits

Energy giant RWE has announced plans are progressing for a new green hydrogen plant at Teesside, following the acquisition of suitable development site in the area. RWE said the secured development... READ MORE

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Excerpt from RWE: RWE secures land option at Wilton International, advancing plans for a large-scale green hydrogen production plant in Teesside; Teesside's strategic location near industrial energy users and emerging hydrogen infrastructure positions it as a key player in UK's decarbonisation efforts; RWE's green hydrogen project in Teesside will create opportunities for green investment, jobs and local economic benefits

RWE, the UK’s leading electricity generator and one of the country’s leading renewable energy companies, is progressing with plans for a green hydrogen plant, in one of its core development areas Teesside: announcing it has acquired a significant land option at Wilton International.

The company is developing opportunities for a large-scale green hydrogen production plant at the site with an initial size of up to 260MWe electrolyser and the ability to produce up to five tonnes per hour of green hydrogen.

The secured development land is in the heart of the Teesside Industrial area which is part of the wider East Coast Cluster. The land is next to industrial energy users and near planned hydrogen pipelines that could provide green hydrogen to support the industrial decarbonisation of the region. Teesside is committed to playing a vital role in helping the UK achieve its 2050 net zero ambitions by becoming one of the world’s first decarbonised industrial clusters through the production, consumption, and export of low carbon hydrogen.

Tom Glover, RWE UK Country Chair, said: “This is a really significant step towards RWE’s ambitions for the production of green hydrogen in Teesside. We have secured land and have already completed feasibility and initial environmental studies with an aim to be operational by 2028. Detailed discussions with potential industrial customers have started, exploring ways the hydrogen produced can help them to decarbonise. It’s an exciting project and we are motivated by the prospect of bringing major green investment to the region.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Here in Teesside we know that there’s huge potential for new investment and jobs by grasping opportunities in industries of the future like green hydrogen, so it’s fantastic to see RWE’s investment in the Teesside Freeport taking a significant step forward. “

“This project means another big name coming to Teesside to produce more clean homegrown energy and crucially more good-quality, well-paid jobs for local people. It just goes to show that all of our hard work in recent years is paying off with more investment, more jobs and more opportunities for local people to build a life and a career right here on Teesside.”

Teesside and the UK East Coast areas are important to RWE, operating its Triton Knoll and Humber Gateway offshore wind farms from its Grimsby Hub Operations & Maintenance facility. The company is also constructing the 1.4 gigawatts (GW) Sofia offshore wind farm and developing two Dogger Bank South offshore wind projects. Onshore, RWE also operates many wind farms in the region and is developing several solar projects.

RWE is the largest power producer in the UK, and a leading renewable generator supplying around 15% of UK electricity with a diverse operational generation portfolio of onshore wind, offshore wind, hydro, biomass and gas. RWE is developing ~1GWe hydrogen opportunities across the UK. The company has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the development of green hydrogen projects across Europe including our lead 300MW GET H2 at Lingen. The company is targeting 2GW of green hydrogen electrolyser capacity in its core markets by 2030. READ MORE

Excerpt from RWE:

Sunfire to supply 100-megawatt alkaline electrolyser for 3rd Nukleus construction phase
As engineering service provider, Bilfinger is constructing the auxiliary and ancillary systems
Plant to increase capacity of Nukleus to 300 megawatts / commissioning planned for 2027

Essen, 11 September 2024

As part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, RWE is building a 300-megawatt plant for producing green hydrogen on the site of its gas-fired power plant in Lingen. Two of the three electrolysers 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 electrolyser 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 electrolyser. The company is already a contract partner of RWE. A 10-MW alkaline electrolyser 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 hydrogen treatment, compression and control technology.

The contracts were signed just days after the final investment decision on RWE’s largest hydrogen 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 Hydrogen at RWE Generation SE: “The construction work for the first 200 megawatts of electrolyser 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 hydrogen. With the pipeline and storage infrastructure of other GET H2 partners being built in parallel, we will soon be able to supply green hydrogen in line with market requirements and in a structured manner.”

Nils Aldag, CEO Sunfire: “RWE relies on Sunfire as an established electrolysis specialist for the realisation 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 realising electrolysers on an industrial scale. With an order backlog of over 800 megawatts, we are a favoured partner for large-scale projects.”

Dr Thomas Schulz, Bilfinger Group CEO: “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 hydrogen.”

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 hydrogen to industrial consumers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2025, the energy company is to commission its first 100-MW electrolyser. The capacity of the plants is to be expanded in 100-MW increments to 300 MW by 2027.

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

Companies can find more information on how to procure green hydrogen on the hydrogen sales page of RWE.

An illustration of the GET H2 Nukleus electrolyser plant for media use (credit: RWE) is available at the RWE Media Centre. The left part of the building will house the Sunfire electrolyser and the ancillary systems by Bilfinger. READ MORE