(Munich / Burghausen) – Wacker Chemie AG is applying for EU funding for the construction of a plant complex called “RHYME Bavaria” for the production of green hydrogen and methanol at the Burghausen site. The company has now prevailed in a European Union pre-selection against several hundred other projects.
As part of this project, Wacker and Linde GmbH want to build an electrolysis plant with an output of 20 megawatts to produce green hydrogen. According to the company, another component is a synthesis plant in which the green hydrogen is further processed into methanol with carbon dioxide from existing production processes. The capacity of this plant is expected to be 15.000 tons per year.
Investment volume of 100 million euros
The investment volume for RHYME (Renewable Hydrogen and Methanol) is around 100 million euros. The funding applied for from the European Union and the Federal Environment Ministry is in the high double-digit million range. The EU is supporting innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries with a total of ten billion euros by 2030.
The companies are now preparing the detailed funding application for the next selection round. If the funds are approved, construction of the systems could begin at the beginning of next year and commissioning would be possible before the end of 2024. “Both hydrogen and methanol are important raw materials for chemical products, such as silicones,” says Wacker. Compared to existing manufacturing processes, the new processes could reduce CO2 emissions by around 80 percent.
“With this project, we are pursuing the goal of significantly reducing the proportion of fossil raw materials and energy sources in chemical processes and products,” explains Wacker CEO Rudolf Staudigl. However, a system complex like RHYME is currently not financially self-sustaining, so “the requested funding is a mandatory prerequisite for us to be able to implement this project.” According to Staudigl, climate-neutral production also requires large amounts of electricity from renewable sources at internationally competitive prices of less than four cents per kilowatt hour.
Perspectives for the region
In perspective, RHYME Bavaria is a first step “toward the defossilization of chemical processes and products in the Bavarian chemical triangle.” In the long term, the hydrogen network that already exists in the region could be converted into a Bavarian center for green hydrogen. Products such as silicones and silicon for photovoltaic applications, but also construction materials and fuels, could then be produced in a climate-neutral manner.
Silicones account for half of Wacker's annual sales
According to its annual report published in mid-March, Wacker achieved sales of almost 2020 billion euros in 4,7. The WACKER SILICONES division contributed almost half of this with 2,24 billion euros. Due to its diverse properties, the plastic is needed in almost all areas of daily life, such as cars, paints, textiles, medicine and consumer electronics. According to Wacker, it is number two in the global silicone business.
deep link
https://www.wacker.com/cms/de-de/about-wacker/press-and-media/press/press-releases/detail-154880.html
www.wacker.com/RHYMEbavaria
infographic
Together with Linde, Wacker is planning to build a plant complex for the production of green hydrogen and renewable methanol at the Burghausen site. © Wacker Chemie AG
