BASF’s Ludwigshafen site recently welcomed Germany’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, which is now in operation.

The electrolyzer is designed to produce zero-carbon hydrogen by including a connected load of fifty-four megawatts, along with one metric ton of this substantial chemical feedstock to the main plant hourly.

The plant opened on March 17 after two years of construction. 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).

This water electrolyzer was built in cooperation with Siemens Energy and is seen as one of a kind when it comes to interface and integration into a chemical production environment, for being installed in the production and infrastructure at the Ludwigshafen site. So far, an installation of seventy-two stacks (modules) has successfully been added to the system. It has been suggested that the electrolyzer may be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 72,000 metric tons every year at BASF’s main plant.

Prior to the electrolyzer being installed, the Ludwigshafen site mostly produced hydrogen through natural gas-based steam reforming, or as a coupling or by-product but since installing the electrolyzer, BASF has begun the process of transforming hydrogen production technology.

After the hydrogen has been produced using electricity from renewable sources, it is fed into the site’s hydrogen Verbund network and distributed as a raw material to various production facilities. Whilst BASF uses it as a feedstock for chemical products, they are also planning to provide hydrogen to the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region for mobility purposes to support the creation of a hydrogen economy within the area.

Funding worth €124.3 million has been provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in cooperation with the State of Rhineland-Palatinate towards the construction of the plant, €37.3 million of which was provided by Rhineland-Palatinate’s government. BASF also invested €25 million in the project.

Member of BASF SE’s Board of Executive Directors and Site Director Ludwigshafen, Katja Scharpwinkel, commented “The commissioning of the electrolyzer makes it possible for us to support our customers in achieving their climate targets by offering them products with a lower carbon footprint. At the same time, we are gaining experience at our largest Verbund site with the integration and operation of a system that brings us another step closer to transforming our main plant in Ludwigshafen. We welcome the fact that the federal government and state government have recognized the importance of this technology and provided us with significant support toward the project’s implementation.”

Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, Alexander Schweitzer, said “The commissioning of the electrolyzer at BASF for the production of green hydrogen is a milestone for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and Europe and an important commitment of BASF to its technology and production site in Ludwigshafen. With the Hy4Chem project, BASF is impressively demonstrating how the transformation of the energy-intensive chemical industry can succeed – innovatively, sustainably, and internationally competitively. As the state government, we support this process with up to €37.3 million because we are convinced that hydrogen plays a key role in decarbonizing and securing our industrial jobs. Today's inauguration sends a strong signal for a climate-neutral future and strengthens Ludwigshafen as a business location.”

Udo Philipp added, “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. 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.”

Katrin Eder mentioned, “BASF has embarked on an ambitious path to net zero. 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.”