(Lubmin, Germany) – The Energy Transition Fund KGAL ESPF 6 and PtX Development GmbH have acquired a majority stake in a project by the French hydrogen producer Lhyfe in Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). According to the companies, this will create "potentially Germany's largest hydrogen project" with a possible capacity of 1,7 gigawatts and an annual production of up to 160.000 tons. Lhyfe will retain a minority stake; however, specific figures were not disclosed.
The large-scale electrolyzer plant planned for Lubmin is eventually to be expanded to a capacity of 1,7 gigawatts. © PtX Development GmbH
It is one of "the most ambitious green hydrogen projects in Germany," says Thomas Engelmann, Head of Energy Transition at KGAL. "The site combines the crucial elements for large-scale hydrogen production." The grounds of the former Greifswald nuclear power plant on the German Baltic coast offer secured land and a confirmed grid connection, as well as "a strategically excellent location" in the immediate vicinity of the repurposed " Flow " pipeline of the long-distance pipeline operator Gascade Gastransport GmbH, which already connects Lubmin with Saxony-Anhalt and forms a key element of the future German hydrogen network. Once completed, Lubmin will be connected "to significant industrial clusters," creating "a solid foundation for long-term offtake agreements."
Location: Lubmin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. © PtX Development GmbH
In September 2024, PtX Development and KGAL signed a contract to finance the construction of a hydrogen production plant in Lubmin. The project was initially planned to have a capacity of 210 megawatts and was to be expanded in several phases to an electrolysis capacity of 1.050 megawatts and a yield of 100.000 tons. Lhyfe had already announced plans for Lubmin at the end of 2023, aiming to commission an 800-megawatt plant there by 2029.
Following the acquisition, KGAL and PtX Development, together with Lhyfe, will now take the project into its next phase. The acquisition expands the development platform by over ten hectares. The focus will be on further technical and commercial development, discussions with potential hydrogen customers, and preparations for the actual project implementation. The Frisian GP Joule Group is also involved.
“By producing hydrogen on an industrial scale, we are creating the foundation for decarbonization, particularly in the steel and chemical industries,” says Alan Cadmus, CEO of PtX Development. “This expansion provides us with the necessary depth of development and strengthens the entire site as a future core component of the German hydrogen economy.” Why Lhyfe is now selling large parts of the project despite the apparently excellent site parameters remains unclear.
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Visualization of the hydrogen project of PtX Development GmbH in Lubmin in northeast Germany. © PtX Development GmbH
