Sunfire Builds Electrolysis Test Facility at BASF Site in Schwarzheide

The Lausitz Industrial Park in Schwarzheide continues its growth trajectory and is gaining another innovation-driven partner with Sunfire. The Dresden-based hydrogen company will build a test facility in the industrial park to further validate its highly efficient high-temperature electrolysis technology (SOEC). Commissioning is planned for the end of this year. The aim is to gain additional practical experience for deployment in large-scale industrial projects.

“With Sunfire, the Lausitz Industrial Park is gaining a globally leading hydrogen company that is actively shaping the energy transition. This decision sends a strong signal about the innovative strength of our site. The test facility strengthens industrial value creation in the region and our industrial base,” says Jürgen Fuchs, Chairman of the Management Board of BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH. The partnership underscores the growing importance of the Lausitz region as an energy hub in transition and as a location for future technologies.

“High-temperature electrolysis offers enormous efficiency advantages for decarbonization, especially for energy-intensive industries. With the test facility at the Lausitz Industrial Park, we will gain valuable insights from a real industrial environment. The strong infrastructure, available space, and on-site industrial expertise enable practical long-term testing at industrial scale,” explains Christian von Olshausen, CTO of Sunfire.

SOEC technology operates at high temperatures of around 850°C and achieves efficiencies of up to 89% LHV, AC. This allows Sunfire’s SOEC electrolyzers to deliver particularly low hydrogen production costs (LCOH). As a pioneer in SOEC development, Sunfire has implemented the largest number of industrial demonstration projects of this technology worldwide.