Daniel Foelber
9 Apr 2025
Germany’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer has entered operation at BASF SE’s (BASF) Ludwigshafen site. Designed to produce zero-carbon hydrogen (H2), the electrolyzer has a connected load of 54 MW and the capacity to supply the main plant with up to 1.1 ton (1 tonne) of chemical feedstock every hour.
“Ludwigshafen is BASF’s most important site worldwide,” the company commented. “The site is a real-life lab for technologies and approaches in the energy transformation that we are currently implementing or developing. It must respond to changes in the technological, regulatory, and economic environment. Water electrolysis is an example for this. It gives us the opportunity to drive forward the development of a market for “green chemistry”, which BASF needs in order to achieve the goal of net zero CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions and to promote a CO2-neutral industry in the future.”
After a construction period of around two years, the plant was officially inaugurated in March in the presence of Katrin Eder, Rhineland-Palatinate state minister for climate protection, environment, energy, and mobility and Udo Philipp, state secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
“BASF has embarked on an ambitious path to net zero,” said Eder. “In addition to progressively increasing its generation of electricity and process heat from renewable energies, the company also plans to use renewable raw materials as alternatives to the fossil energy sources currently employed, such as natural gas. Designed to produce green hydrogen as a raw material, the new electrolyzer at the Ludwigshafen location represents an important milestone and supports the achievement of Rhineland-Palatinate’s climate protection targets.”
“I am delighted that the federal government’s efforts to support the hydrogen economy in Germany are bearing fruit. A flagship project for the integration of hydrogen into a chemical production site has become a reality at the Ludwigshafen site,” said Philipp. “It is the largest project of its kind in Germany to date, making it an important pioneer as we strive to achieve our climate targets. Through this collaboration, BASF is demonstrating what decarbonization of the industrial sector can look like in practice and inspiring further technological progress.”
Read the full article here:- https://esgreview.net/2025/04/09/europes-largest-electrolyzer-enters-operation-2/