Green hydrogen: bp greenlights Lingen – Germany’s largest hydrogen plant
bp has today announced its final investment decision (FID) for its largest-ever green hydrogen project: the Lingen Green Hydrogen (LGH2) plant in Germany.
Lingen is a 100 MW facility in Lower Saxony, Germany, scheduled for construction in 2025 and expected to be commissioned in 2027 – planning to produce a colossal 11,000 tonnes of green hydrogen every year.
Scaling up hydrogen in Germany
Strategically located next to bp’s existing Lingen refinery, the LGH2 plant aims to kill two birds with one electrolyser. First, it’ll decarbonise the refinery, slashing emissions from its processes. Second, it’ll supply clean hydrogen to industrial customers across the region.
Lower Saxony is a strategic location, tapping directly into Germany’s burgeoning hydrogen pipeline network, ensuring seamless distribution to end users.
The hydrogen will be genuinely green, with offshore wind farms providing renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement (PPA), ensuring a steady, zero-carbon electricity supply for the facility’s electrolysers.
Good news for bp and hydrogen
Patrick Wendeler, CEO of BP Europa SE said: “The decision is very good news for bp and for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Germany”.
He credited IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) funding from the German federal and Lower Saxony governments as critical in bringing the project to life.
Why it matters
Hydrogen’s potential to decarbonise hard-to-electrify sectors like heavy industry, chemicals, and high-temperature manufacturing is well-touted.
But potential doesn’t count for much unless it’s put into action. That’s where projects like Lingen step in, turning lofty ambitions into real carbon reductions.
Green hydrogen stands out because it’s produced via renewable-powered electrolysis – in short terms, electrocuting water into its constituent parts – oxygen and hydrogen. Clean energy made from water and renewables.
Felipe Arbelaez, bp’s Senior Vice President of Hydrogen and CCS, stressed the broader significance, saying:
“Projects like Lingen Green Hydrogen help create value for the region, partners, customers and bp – including our refineries – as they can contribute to decarbonisation and support the transition to lower-emission energy solutions.”
An emerging European hydrogen market
bp’s announcement places it in direct competition with energy giants like Shell and TotalEnergies, which have also unveiled significant green hydrogen projects across Europe.
Shell has its 200 MW electrolyser in the Netherlands as a comparable example, and the mix of the two could become a cross-border hydrogen corridor spanning northwestern Europe.
EU funding support via IPCEI
Lingen is backed by funding from the EU’s highly competitive IPCEI Hy2Infra Wave program, clearly showing the strategic importance to the Bloc of clean hydrogen production to achieve Europe’s ambitious climate goals.
The IPCEI program backs first-of-their-kind projects designed to lay the groundwork for Europe’s hydrogen economy. Think infrastructure, large-scale electrolysis, and transport networks.
The exact funding figures are not disclosed, but IPCEI backing shows significant financial support and political will behind the project.
Economic and local impact
The project at Lingen is likely to generate hundreds of jobs during construction and create long-term operational roles at the plant. It also strengthens Lower Saxony’s position as a hub for clean energy innovation.
What’s next?
Shovels will hit the ground in the new year (2025), with the first hydrogen molecules expected to flow out of the site in 2027.
The project forms part of bp’s wider hydrogen strategy, with the firm having five to ten similar-scale projects planned globally by 2030.
