Lhyfe: new green hydrogen project in Lubmin, Germany 

Lhyfe plans to produce up to 330 tons of green hydrogen per day in Lubmin plant, in one the largest plants to be built in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, with a targeted commissioning date by 2029. Part of Lhyfe’s backbone development strategy, this plant will feed into the German core hydrogen pipeline network, for the development of which the German government recently unveiled a €20 billion financing plan. 

As part of its plan to utilize more green hydrogen as a means of reducing greenhouse emissions while simultaneously decreasing reliance on imported fossil fuels, the German government announced two weeks ago an estimated investment of 20 billion euros in the hydrogen network by 2032. This investment will support the construction of a 9,700-kilometer-long pipeline network to transport hydrogen across the country and to Germany’s neighbours. 

Alongside its bulk and onsite strategy, Lhyfe’s backbone strategy consists in positioning some of its green hydrogen production units at locations specifically chosen for their proximity to the future European hydrogen backbone, thus enabling it to address a wide array of customers, delivered through these infrastructures once deployed. 

As such, over the last two years, Lhyfe has developed a backbone project portfolio representing 3.8 GW of electrolysis installed capacity (as of June 2023) or 37% of its total project pipeline, including large projects such as in Perl (Saarland) and Delfzijl (the Netherlands) located near future hydrogen transport infrastructures. These strategic locations ensure that future hydrogen production can be reliably transported and used in the decarbonization of industrial sites throughout these regions.

In this context, Lhyfe’s project in Lubmin fits very well in with both its backbone strategy and Germany’s strategy to support green hydrogen development, as it is located very close to the German hydrogen backbone. The new project site will offer access to extensive existing and future electricity production capacities from offshore wind farms. It also benefits from an extra-high voltage grid connection operated by 50Hertz, the transmission system operator, which already operates a transformer station in Lubmin and will feed all the required electricity power to produce hydrogen. 

The plant will be built on the site of a decommissioned nuclear power plant, which makes it even more environmentally friendly. The project is currently in the development phase and is scheduled to go into operation by 2029 with an electrolysis capacity of 800 MW and a production capacity of up to 330 tons of green hydrogen per day. 

“This location is of strategic importance to us,” emphasizes Luc Graré, Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Lhyfe. “We are building these plants not only for our short-term needs, but also for future generations. The introduction of green hydrogen in Europe is a long-term project and Lubmin meets all the requirements to establish itself as a sustainable centre for green hydrogen in the long term. We look forward to the long-term development of this location, to the development of the region’s core hydrogen infrastructure, and to supporting the longstanding decarbonization of Europe’s industry and transport.”

The project’s implementation is subject notably to the granting of operating authorizations, construction permits, as well as to financial investment decisions.