BASF has taken a major step toward decarbonization by commissioning a 54 MW electrolyser at its Ludwigshafen site—a contract that electrolyser manufacturers can only dream of. The chemical giant has equipped itself with an electrolyser capable of producing one tonne of hydrogen per hour.
After an approximately two-year construction period, the electrolyser was officially inaugurated at the Ludwigshafen plant in the presence of Katrin Eder, Minister of State for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Udo Philipp, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
Designed by Siemens Energy, the facility comprises 72 fuel cells, enabling it to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year while reducing CO₂ emissions by 72,000 metric tonnes annually. It is the largest electrolyser of its kind in Germany.
Once produced, the hydrogen is injected into the local pipeline network and used as a raw material in manufacturing. BASF also plans to supply surplus hydrogen for mobility in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.
“With the Hy4Chem project, BASF is demonstrating impressively how the transformation of the energy-intensive chemical industry can be successful in an innovative, sustainable, and internationally competitive manner,” said Alexander Schweitzer, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate.
*The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection financed the construction of the plant with 124.3 million euros, including 37.3 million euros from the government of Rhineland-Palatinate. BASF’s investment in the project amounts to approximately 25 million euros. The project, entitled Hy4CHem, was selected as part of the IPCEI’s call for expressions of interest in hydrogen and subsequently funded as an individual project.
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