Lingen Green Hydrogen project, Germany

13th November 2020 By: Sheila Barradas - Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

Lingen Green Hydrogen project, Germany

Name of the Project
Lingen Green Hydrogen project.

Location
Germany.

Project Owner/s
bp and Ørsted have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to work together on the proposed project.

Project Description
bp and Ørsted plan to develop a ‎project for the industrial-scale production of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen made through the electrolysis of water using ‎renewable power, producing zero emissions.

Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. When powered by renewable ‎energy, this produces ‘green’ hydrogen, without generating direct carbon emissions. ‎ 

Hydrogen is widely used in refinery processes where it is now typically ‎produced by reforming natural gas, which does result in carbon dioxide emission, also known ‎as ‘grey’ hydrogen.‎

The project includes the construction of an initial 50 MW electrolyser and associated infrastructure at bp’s Lingen refinery, in north-‎west Germany. This will be powered by renewable energy generated by an Ørsted offshore ‎wind farm, in the North Sea, and the hydrogen produced will be used in the refinery.‎

The electrolyser project is expected to produce 1 t/h, or almost 9 000 t/y, of green ‎hydrogen. This would be sufficient to replace about 20% of ‎the Lingen refinery’s current grey hydrogen consumption, avoiding about 80 000 t/y of carbon dioxide ‎equivalent emissions – equivalent to the emissions from about 45 000 cars in ‎Germany.

In addition to green hydrogen production, bp and Ørsted intend to focus on maximising the ‎efficiency of the project’s electrolysis system, including assessing sustainable uses for the ‎main by-products of the process, primarily oxygen and low-grade excess heat.‎

The project is also intended to support a longer-term ambition to build more than 500 MW of ‎renewable-powered electrolysis capacity at Lingen. This could provide green hydrogen to ‎ meet all the refinery’s hydrogen demand and provide feedstock for potential future ‎synthetic fuel production.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
The companies anticipate that the project could be ‎operational by 2024.

Latest Developments
Under their LOI, bp and Ørsted will work together to further define the project, agree on ‎definitive documents and make a final investment decision in early 2022, subject ‎to appropriate enabling policies being in place.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
bp Germany press office, tel +49  2344 3663 860 or email presse@de.bp.com.