(Hamburg/Lingen) – The British group BP and the Danish energy company Ørsted are working together on a project for the production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale. In the first phase, the two companies plan to build a 50 megawatt (MW) electrolyser with associated infrastructure at the BP refinery in Lingen (Emsland), in northwest Germany. For this purpose, electricity from offshore wind farms in the North Sea, which are operated by Ørsted, is used. The plant can produce one tonne of green hydrogen per hour, which the refinery uses to produce fuel. This could replace around 20 percent of the hydrogen currently produced in the refinery from fossil natural gas, the companies said. Commissioning is scheduled for 2024.
Expansion to 150 megawatts possible
In a second phase, the electrolysis can be expanded to 150 MW. BP says its goal is to replace all of the fossil-produced hydrogen at the Lingen refinery in the long term and thus reduce CO2 emissions in fuel production. If there is a corresponding need, for example for the production of synthetic fuels for aviation (e-fuels), “electrolysis capacities of more than 500 MW could be planned” in a further project step.
EU funding applied for
At the end of October 2020, the companies applied for funding from the EU Innovation Fund under the name “Lingen Green Hydrogen”. The funding program is aimed, among other things, at the energy-intensive industry. The project also focuses on optimizing the electrolysis system and its “full integration into the refinery processes.” Among other things, “the sustainable use of the main by-products of electrolysis, such as oxygen and excess heat,” is analyzed.
“Building block for a strong hydrogen economy”
A test run in 2018 had already proven “that green hydrogen can be easily used in the refinery process,” explained Wolfgang Langhoff, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BP Europa SE. “Together with Ørsted, we now want to create an important building block for a strong hydrogen economy in Germany.”
“Offshore wind energy has the potential to produce hydrogen on an industrial scale and thus reduce costs,” says Volker Malmen, Managing Director of Ørsted Germany. The company is already involved in the “West Coast 100” consortium (we reported). In the project, with scientific support, a 30-megawatt electrolyzer on the site of the Heide refinery will produce green hydrogen using electricity from offshore wind energy.
Ørsted plans, builds and operates wind farms, solar power plants, energy storage and biomass power plants worldwide. In Germany, Ørsted maintains four offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The 231 wind turbines have an output of more than 1,3 gigawatts (GW). Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs around 6.000 people worldwide and generated sales of 2019 billion euros in 9,1.
BP wants to be climate-neutral by 2050. This should also be achieved by gradually increasing investments in renewable energies. According to the information, green hydrogen is playing an increasingly important role. In Germany, BP employs around 4.600 people and generated sales of almost 2019 billion euros in 31.
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BP refinery in Lingen / © BP Europe SE
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Project Lingen / © BP Europe SE
