Largest Commercial Plant for Green Hydrogen Commissioned in Germany

The French hydrogen producer Lhyfe has officially commissioned its first commercial production plant in Germany, located in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg. According to the company, it is the largest facility in Germany dedicated exclusively to the open-market sale of renewable hydrogen. It also marks Lhyfe’s first hydrogen production site outside of France. With an electrolysis capacity of up to 10 MW, the plant can produce around 4 tons of hydrogen per day.

With the new plant, Lhyfe aims to supply hydrogen primarily to energy-intensive industries in the region. To ensure that the hydrogen produced in Schwäbisch Gmünd meets the requirements of the EU taxonomy, the facility complies with the so-called RFNBO criteria, which stipulate that hydrogen must be produced entirely from renewable energy sources. Lhyfe uses electricity from regional wind and solar farms, secured through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

In addition to serving industrial customers, Lhyfe also supplies the mobility sector. The site includes a dedicated refuelling station for trucks, and the company has signed a supply agreement with H2 Mobility, a leading hydrogen refuelling network operator.

The plant is built using a modular container design and is based on several electrolysis stacks. This setup enables all key processes – from power conversion and cooling to water treatment, electrolysis, purification, compression, and filling – to be integrated efficiently within a compact footprint.

According to Luc Graré, Head of Central and Eastern Europe at Lhyfe, the company chose the location in alignment with the Baden-Württemberg state government’s strong commitment to hydrogen development. Together, he said, they aim to establish a model for the practical use of renewable hydrogen.

The project is regarded as a flagship initiative within the state-supported programme H2-Wandel – Model Region for Green Hydrogen. It received €2.1 million in state funding and €4.3 million from the European ERDF programme, with total investment amounting to around €30 million.