The German energy sector has been bolstered by the news that French energy operator Lhyfe has inaugurated a 10 MW green hydrogen plant in Germany, marking the first major project outside of France for the company. Europe has been fostering the global energy transition to the renewable energy sector through several huge projects. The Schwäbisch Gmünd facility is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany, and is the company’s largest green hydrogen facility to date.

The facility is Germany’s largest commercial renewable hydrogen production site

The world has been consumed by the inevitable transition away from the fossil fuel sector in recent years. The European continent is leading the charge in that transition as several nations turn to the untapped power of solar, wind, and nuclear.

French energy company PNE recently inaugurated the 10 MW green hydrogen plant in Germany, known as Schwäbisch Gmünd. The project represents a substantial expansion for the company as it is the firm’s first at an industrial scale outside France.

The facility is capable of producing up to 4 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per day through water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity. Further strengthening the global stance of the renewable energy sector. Additionally, the company noted that the plant will decarbonize heavy-duty mobility and industry across the Baden-Württemberg region in southwest Germany.

Lhyfe has also stated that it has already secured power purchase agreements with producers in Germany, including EDPR. The 10MW Schwabisch Gmund site received $2.4 million from the state of Baden-Württemberg and $5 million from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the H2-Wandel model region initiative.

“With the production site by electrolysis of water in Schwabisch Gmund, Baden-Wurttemberg is taking an important step forward in ramping up hydrogen technology. This flagship project, supported by the state, sends a strong signal: we are ready for a sustainable future.” – Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg

The site obtained Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin certification in September of this year

Lhyfe noted that the site received certification from the EU’s most stringent renewable hydrogen standard under the Renewable Energy Directive. The certification of the Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin enables customers to qualify for national and European grant schemes by confirming the hydrogen produced is 100% renewable and compliant with EU environmental and traceability criteria.

As several nations are set to continue approving new coal plants in the months and years to come, Germany is aiming to complete the transition to the renewable energy sector through projects like the Schwäbisch Gmünd facility.

“We are proud to inaugurate Lhyfe’s very first site outside France, here in Baden-Wurttemberg, a state that has continued its efforts in recent years to establish itself as a model for the deployment of renewable hydrogen. With our three units in operation and some of the most advanced logistics in Europe, we have demonstrated our operational capabilities. We are now ready to open a new chapter in Lhyfe’s history in Germany, to deliver ever-increasing volumes and, in the long term, to develop on-site production units to meet the most significant needs, similar to the projects we are already carrying out in several European countries.” – Luc Grare, head of Central & Eastern Europe at Lhyfe

Other nations are aiming to replicate the efficient transition that Germany has undertaken

It must be noted that Germany is not the only country accelerating the energy transition to the renewable sector. Even nations that have made significantly large fortunes from oil and gas have turned towards the renewable energy sector, like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which recently awarded a lucrative engineering contract for green hydrogen and ammonia to Sinopec. As more countries and regions turn to the renewable sector, the question that arises is what will become of the old coal and gas facilities around the world?