The inauguration and commissioning of the hydrogen-compatible technology took place in Bonn last Friday (September 27th) in the presence of representatives from business, politics and the energy supply sector. According to a report from Bonner Stadtwerke (SWB), the modernization of the CHP plant cost around 90 million euros. It now has two hydrogen-compatible gas turbines and a converted and new waste heat boiler. There is also a new workshop, office building, and machine house.

"Thanks to the hydrogen-capable turbines, we are increasing the potential for environmentally friendly district heating and electricity production in Bonn," emphasized SWB Managing Director Olaf Hermes. At the HKW Nord, the "course has been set for a sustainable energy industry."

First hydrogen in Bonn from 2025

According to Helge Wilhelm, municipal utility head of energy generation, SWB will be able to use up to 15 percent of hydrogen by volume in the HKW Nord by the end of 2025. This proportion will gradually increase by 2035.

The new and converted gas turbines will also be used to generate district heating using green hydrogen. Natural gas, the current fuel, will be gradually minimized. The plan is to deliver the hydrogen by truck from 2025 until a technical supply infrastructure is available in the power plant.

efficiency gains through combined heat and power generation

The modernization of the plants also makes electricity and district heating supplies more reliable and efficient. By combining district heating and electricity production in the expanded CHP plant, up to 295,000 tons of CO₂ per year can be saved compared to separate electricity and heat production with natural gas .

This is made possible by the so-called combined heat and power system with which the CHP works. As in a car, a fuel is used, natural gas or hydrogen, to generate mechanical power from thermal energy, which is then converted into electricity. The residual heat remaining in the process is not lost but is used for heating. Thanks to the combined heat and power system, the fuels used produce electricity and district heating.

For production, SWB also uses the steam generated during the thermal recycling of unavoidable residual waste in the waste incineration plant. The energetic use of household waste, which is a "renewable raw material," contributes significantly to Bonn's district heating having an "outstandingly good primary energy factor."

CHP plant achieves 130 MW output

Thanks to the new technology, the municipal utility company says it can generate up to 70 percent of Bonn's electricity needs in the combined heat and power plant. The Siemens turbine significantly increases the plant's performance with an additional 40 megawatts (MW) of electrical power. Combined with the existing gas and steam turbines, the power plant now produces an electrical output of around 130 MW.

In addition, the plant produces up to 180 MW of peak-load district heating. SWB also wants to double its district heating network: around 2800 customer systems are connected to the 130-kilometre-long pipeline network.

In February of this year, the German government adopted its power plant strategy, which envisages putting hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts (GW) into operation by 2040.

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