The Bad Lauchstädt wind farm will be used to investigate the production, storage, transport and economic use of green hydrogen under real conditions and on an industrial scale, using a large electrolysis plant of up to 30MW close to the project site.
The project was awarded funding of around €34 million in 2021 as a “regulatory sandbox for the energy transition”. The funding will initially be used to develop and test green hydrogen generation and transport, as well as central components of hydrogen storage. A prospective second phase from 2026 could see an underground hydrogen storage facility added to the energy facility.
Delivery of the turbines, which have a hub height of 169 metres, is expected to start in the first quarter of 2024 with commissioning scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. The order includes a 25-year service agreement.
Project partners are Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft, Uniper, VNG Gasspeicher, Ontras Gastransport, DBI - Gastechnologisches Institut Freiberg and VNG AG.
“As an international developer of sustainable energy projects, we are proud to add this 50MW wind farm to our portfolio,” said Falk Zeuner, TerraWatt managing director. Zeuner added that the project would represent “a blueprint for a future energy system” just 35km from his company’s headquarters in Leipzig.
“Power-to-x is a crucial technology on the journey towards decarbonisation and indirect electrification of ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors like heavy transport and chemical industries. By generating electricity from renewable and clean energy sources our technology provides the basis for connecting green electricity and hydrogen at an industrial scale,” said Jan Hagen, TerraWatt’s chief technology officer for northern and central Europe.
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