New Company Founded in Lichtenau: 10 MW Electrolyzer to Produce Green Hydrogen with Wind Power

The municipal energy service provider Westfalen Weser, Stadtwerke Lichtenau GmbH and Energiestadt Lichtenau have founded a joint company to drive forward the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in the region. A 10 MW electrolyzer is to produce green hydrogen for the surrounding industry and hydrogen filling stations with the help of wind power in the energy town. An existing high-pressure natural gas pipeline will be upgraded for transportation and temporary storage. The investment amounts to 29.2 million euros, including around 11.2 million euros in funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“Lichtenau does not bear the title “Energy City” for nothing. We are leading the way as a location for the production of renewable energy and are open to new technologies. Green hydrogen can make a further contribution to the decarbonization of industry in the surrounding area,” explains Ute Dülfer, Mayor of the energy town of Lichtenau. Georg Wigge, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Lichtenau, adds: “With hydrogen production, we are investing in a promising way of linking sectors such as electricity with heat and transport. This is a further step towards exploiting the full potential of local energy generation.” In addition to the raw material water, the production of hydrogen also requires electricity, which in this case comes directly from locally available wind energy. This means that the hydrogen is not only produced “green” - it also serves to store energy from wind power, which cannot be fed into the power grid during periods of grid overload.

The “Sleeping Giant” Awakens

The ambitious project called “Sleeping Giant” was launched in 2023. “In the energy transition, the focus is often on expanding generation. However, the expansion of grids and storage options is just as important. We are therefore taking a holistic and technology-neutral approach to the issue,” says Andreas Speith, representing Westfalen Weser, explaining the motivation for investing in the production of hydrogen. In February 2024, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia approved funding of 11.2 million euros, thus securing the financing. This was followed by land securing, technical planning and approval procedures. At the end of last year, TÜV inspected the high-pressure natural gas pipeline and determined the measures to be taken to upgrade it. With its large dimensions of around six kilometers in length and one meter in diameter, the pipeline enables seasonal storage in addition to transport.

Another important milestone was reached with the signing of the contract to found Wasserstoff Lichtenau GmbH on December 17, 2024. Dr. Steve Flechsig, who had previously managed the “Sleeping Giant” project at Westfalen Weser, was appointed Managing Director. The tendering process has now begun. Once the contracts have been awarded, a concrete schedule for construction and commissioning can be drawn up based on the delivery times. The aim of all those involved is to scale up the plant in the coming years as the industry's demand for green hydrogen continues to grow. A possible heat supply from the waste heat of the electrolyzer is also being examined as part of the municipal heat planning of the energy town of Lichtenau.