Green hydrogen ‘ecosystem’ planned for German City

French-based Lhyfe announced on Wednesday (June 1), it has received approval from the German city of Schwäbish Gmünd (Baden-Württemberg), to develop a ‘local renewable green hydrogen ecosystem’.

The 10,000m2 ‘H2-Aspen’ site has a planned capacity of 10MW, which could produce four tonnes of hydrogen per day. A publicly hydrogen refuelling station and pipeline are also set to be constructed.

Set to be operational in early 2024, the hydrogen production facility will be powered by wind and solar installations.

Lhyfe has said the hydrogen will be used as a process gas by industrial customers, as well as fuel for hydrogen-powered vehicles at refuelling stations.

Richard Arnold, First Mayor of the City of Schwäbish Gmünd, said, “The cooperation with Lhyfe provides the necessary impetus for a fast and reliable development of the H2-Aspen project.

“With this project, we want to offer companies in the region a local, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy solution. Within the framework of a holistic sustainable production, we enable and demonstrate what a ’business and industrial park of the future’ can look like.

“This holistic approach, positioning ourselves along the entire hydrogen value chain of the project, is not only exemplary for our region, but also on a national level. ”

The announcement follows on from Lhyfe receiving over €100m ($117m) of investment during an initial public offering (IPO) in May (2022) and contributes to the company’s ambitions to ramp up the European green hydrogen market.

Luc Graré, Head of International Business at Lhyfe, commented, “The region’s goal is to establish an economically autonomous hydrogen industry.

“To support this goal, we are actively involved in the construction and expansion of the planned technology park. Thanks to our expertise in building local hydrogen ecosystems as well as our model of direct connection between renewable energy sources and our production sites, we can optimally support the development of the region.

“Following our previous involvement in projects in Germany, this project is part of our strategy to supply Germany with green hydrogen on a national scale by 2025”.