Integrated European energy company MET Group signed an agreement with German green energy company HH2E to develop one of the largest green hydrogen production plants in Europe to date in Lubmin/Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the German Baltic coast.
The project aims to construct a new generation power-to-X plant with a capacity to produce around 6,000 tonnes (over 200,000 megawatt-hours – MWh) of green hydrogen per year. A second-stage expansion is planned to increase capacity to over 1 gigawatt (GW), which will produce more than 60,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year and help avoid in excess of 800,000 tonnes of direct CO2 emissions annually.
Construction of the first phase of the plant in Lubmin, with a total investment of over 200 million euros, is to begin as early as 2023. Commissioning is planned for 2025. Commissioning of the second stage is scheduled for 2030. The total investment can exceed 1 billion euros.
The technology mix developed by HH2E for the green power plant in Lubmin is another step towards 100 per cent renewable energy, for all sectors and around the clock. The volatility of renewable energy production is solved by combining a 50 MW alkaline electrolyser with a 200 MWh high-capacity battery, which enables the constant production of green hydrogen without a permanent supply of renewable power.
According to Andreas Schierenbeck, co-founder and board member of HH2E, “the electrolyser produces green hydrogen when the wind and sun provide enough electricity, and the battery is then charged as well.”
“If the simultaneous generation of renewable energy is not sufficient, the battery supplies the green electricity that keeps the electrolyser in constant production,” he explained. “Our technology mix thus enables maximum use of electrolysis even when the availability of green electricity is volatile.”
The renewable power input is to be secured through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) from offshore and onshore wind farms as well as solar parks in the region.
“The market in Germany is showing an extraordinarily high level of interest in green hydrogen as part of the energy transition and the raw material mix,” said Jörg Selbach-Röntgen, CEO of MET Germany. “As MET Group, we are very interested and committed to making our contribution to the energy transition. The development of the project will strongly depend on the demand from industry and the energy sector in Germany, which we want to secure by reliable and long-term supply relationships.”
Also Reinhard Meyer, Minister of Economics and Energy of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania welcomed the planned investment in a region that, “with its large supply of wind and solar power, offers real locational advantages for investments in the energy transition and thus in the transformation of industry towards climate neutrality.”
“This project can make an important contribution to the green hydrogen economy on our Baltic coast,” he underlined. “In the future, green hydrogen will be used regionally by new industrial companies, logistics companies and the maritime economy. This will enable these companies to obtain permanently affordable green energy – a real competitive advantage for our country.”
