Siemens Smart Infrastructure and WUN H2 GmbH recently signed a contract to build one of the largest hydrogen production plants in Wunsiedel in northern Bavaria, Germany.
The plant will run fully on renewable energy and the electrolysis plant from Siemens Energy will have the capacity to produce over 900 tons of hydrogen per year in this first phase, and eventually, will be able to supply up to 2,000 tons once it is fully expanded.
“This project is another element of a practised, successful technology partnership between Siemens and SWW Wunsiedel GmbH,” stated Uwe Bartmann, CEO of Siemens Germany and CEO of Smart Infrastructure Regional Solutions & Services Germany.
“We want to achieve locally today what Germany is targeting for 2050, namely, a complete energy transition across all sectors.”
The plant in Wunsiedel will convert the renewable energy available in the region from photovoltaics and wind power, into storable hydrogen (H2) and make it available for industrial and transportation applications.
As per the official statement by Siemens, the project will give the northern Bavaria region its very own hydrogen source. The hydrogen will be filled into gas cylinders for local distribution and shipped by truck to local and regional end customers, mostly in Upper Franconia, the Upper Palatinate, southern Thuringia, and Saxony, as well as Western Bohemia (Czech Republic). It is also expected to help ease grid bottlenecks and provide flexibility for the grid.
A public hydrogen filling station for trucks and buses may be added later at the same location to aid the conversion of heavy-duty traffic and public transportation to CO2-free drive technology.
The electrolysis plant will be built in the Wunsiedel Energy Park next to the Siemens manufactured battery storage facility already in operation, complementing the forward-looking energy concept.
The ground-breaking for the plant is scheduled by the end of this year and its commissioning by the end of 2021.
