Germany’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser has entered operation at BASF’s chemical complex in Ludwigshafen. Designed to produce zero-carbon hydrogen, the technology has been directly integrated into the chemical production process and plant infrastructure, a world first, according to the company.

Built in cooperation with Siemens Energy, the electrolyser features a total of 72 stacks, the modules in which the actual electrolysis process takes place. It has a connected load of 54 MW and an annual capacity of up to 8,000 tonnes of hydrogen. The hydrogen produced is fed into Ludwigshafen’s hydrogen network and distributed to the production facilities as a raw material. In addition to using the hydrogen as a feedstock for chemical products, BASF plans to supply it for transport use in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, supporting the development of a hydrogen economy in the area.  

The electrolyser has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the plant by up to 72,000 t/y, reports BASF.

Previously, hydrogen was produced at Ludwigshafen primarily by means of natural gas-based steam reforming or as a coupling product and by-product.  

‘The emission-free production of hydrogen – using electricity from renewable sources – is fundamental to the market ramp-up of chemical products with a reduced carbon footprint,’ says BASF.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, in cooperation with the regional government, provided €124.3mn of funding for the plant’s construction. BASF invested €25mn. The project, called Hy4CHem, was selected as part of the European Commission’s IPCEI Hydrogen expression of interest procedure and subsequently funded as an individual project.

Commenting at the plant’s official inauguration, Alexander Schweitzer, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, said: ‘The Hy4Chem project demonstrates how the transformation of the energy-intensive chemical industry can succeed – innovatively, sustainably and internationally competitively.’ Adding that hydrogen will play ‘a key role in decarbonising and securing our industrial jobs’, he said the inauguration sent ‘a strong signal for a climate-neutral future’.

World’s first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility starts production

Meanwhile, European Energy and Mitsui have produced the first e-methanol from their Kassø power-to-X facility in neighbouring Denmark. Once fully ramped up in 2Q2025, the facility will have the capacity to produce 42,000 t/y of e-methanol, making it the first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility in the world, according to the project partners.

The facility features three electrolysers from Siemens Energy, with a combined capacity of 52.5 MW. The plant is powered by the nearby European Energy-operated Kassø solar park facility.

One of the primary off-takers of Kassø’s e-methanol is AP Moller–Maersk. The company will use it as a low-emission fuel for the Laura Mærsk – claimed to be the world’s first container vessel capable of running on methanol. The LEGO Group and Novo Nordisk will also use the e-methanol to decarbonise some of their plastic materials.

‘Power-to-X offers a practical, scalable solution to decarbonise industries that cannot rely on direct electrification,’ says Emil Vikjær-Andresen, EVP and Head of Power-to-X at European Energy. He adds that the lessons learned at Kassø will enable the company ‘to refine the process, improve efficiencies and bring down costs for future projects’.

The Kassø e-methanol facility is the second power-to-X facility that European Energy has developed and constructed. Its first facility, a green hydrogen plant, was inaugurated in November 2024 in Esbjerg, Denmark.

European Energy and Mitsui say their Kassø power-to-X facility in Denmark is the first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility in the world

Photo: European Energy