(Essen, Germany) – The energy company RWE AG plans to build a hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plant. Following the project in Weisweiler in the Rhenish mining region, the company is now pushing ahead with plans for such a plant at a potential second location in Werne, North Rhine-Westphalia. According to reports, a hydrogen-capable combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant with a nominal output of approximately 800 megawatts could be built at the "Gersteinwerk" site there.
Approval planning is underway
RWE has commissioned an Italian-Spanish consortium consisting of Ansaldo Energia (Italy) and Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) to do the planning. The first step is to obtain approval. Work on this is already underway.
According to current status, the plant in Werne could start producing electricity by 2030. At the time of its commissioning, it should initially be able to use a blend of at least 50 percent hydrogen and later be operated entirely with it.
Completion possible by 2030
"With the approval planning for a hydrogen-capable gas power plant at the Gersteinwerk, we are making advance payments to keep open the possibility of completion by 2030," says Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE. However, this requires "quick, fundamental decisions" from politicians: "We can only make a final investment decision once the connection of the site to a hydrogen network is secured and the framework conditions enable the power plants to operate economically."
According to the federal government's recent plans to build a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany, the Gerstein plant in Werne could be located close to a hydrogen transport pipeline in the future.
Photos
Visualization of the planned hydrogen-capable combined cycle power plant Gersteinwerk, Werne. © RWE AG
