The Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, a project by the VNG Group, ONTRAS, Uniper, Terrawatt and DBI, has won the H2Eco Award. The award was presented at HANNOVER MESSE by State Secretary Udo Philipp at HANNOVER MESSE 2024 and was organized by the German Hydrogen Association and Deutsche Messe AG .
The winner was the consortium consisting of Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH, Uniper Hydrogen GmbH, VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH, VNG Gasspeicher GmbH, ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg and VNG AG with the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park.
Cornelia Müller-Pagel, Project Manager of the consortium, was delighted with the award: “We are incredibly grateful for this award. Since the ground-breaking ceremony last year, we have already achieved significant milestones such as Germany’s first supply contract for green hydrogen and the topping-out ceremony for the building of the 30 MW large-scale electrolyzer. In the meantime, the first value creation stage, the wind farm with 8 wind turbines and an output of 50 megawatts, is already nearing completion. This award shows us that we are on the right track and underlines the importance of the project for the future of green hydrogen in Germany. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our partners who are working with us on the Bad Lauchstädt energy park. The H2Eco Award is a further incentive to continue on our path with all our enthusiasm and energy.”
About the winning project
At the Bad Lauchstädt energy park, the intelligent production of green hydrogen from wind power as well as its storage, transportation, marketing and use on an industrial scale is taking place for the first time.
A 50 MW wind farm and a 30 MW large-scale electrolysis plant are being built for this purpose. In addition, a 25 km long natural gas pipeline will be converted and the hydrogen produced will be transported to a refinery in the nearby chemical triangle of Central Germany. The hydrogen will also be stored in a salt cavern with a working gas volume of 50 million Nm3.
With its integrated approach, the project addresses the value chain from a technical, economic and regulatory perspective. The real-world laboratory is helping to bring future technologies related to green hydrogen to market maturity – for successful sector coupling and a technologically strong and future-oriented hydrogen region.
The project started in September 2021. The planning and approval phase was concluded with a positive investment decision. The project has been under construction since June 2023. The commissioning of all sub-plants is scheduled for 2025.
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