Wittenberg to Become Hydrogen Production Center: VNG AG and the Dutch company HyCC are planning to build a 500-megawatt electrolyzer. From 2029, the plant will produce green hydrogen for the Central German Chemical Triangle. As part of the "GreenRoot" project, the electrolyzer will supply local industrial customers like SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH.
As VNG reported on Wednesday (December 4), the electrolyzer planned as the highlight of the "GreenRoot" project will provide 5% of national hydrogen demand at full capacity according to NWS. With a capacity of up to 500 megawatts, the plant is among the larger projects of this kind in Germany. "We build on many years of operational experience with electrolysis technology and are convinced that Europe, and especially Germany, are well-positioned to play a leading role in green hydrogen," explained Michel Gantois, CEO of HyCC.
The project partners plan to start the approval and consultation phase in 2025. The final investment decision could follow in 2026. Commissioning is scheduled for 2029. The partners launched the overarching GreenRoot project in September 2022.
Strategically Significant Location
The electrolyzer will be built on the site of the former waterworks of Lutherstadt Wittenberg's municipal utilities, in immediate proximity to the Agro-Chemical Park Piesteritz. The planned connection to the hydrogen core network will enable future supply to additional industrial customers in the Central German Chemical Triangle.
Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff (CDU) was present at the announcement. He supports the project. Hydrogen is important for his state's economic development: "Saxony-Anhalt is already a pioneer in using regenerative energy. Hydrogen is a crucial energy carrier of the future, especially for our chemical industry."
GreenRoot: Project Goals and Challenges
VNG CEO Ulf Heitmüller emphasized the project's strategic significance: "As a company, we bring decades of experience in operating gas infrastructure as well as gas sales and trading." Simultaneously, he pointed to economic challenges: "For successful implementation, we need economic framework conditions and pragmatic rules along the hydrogen value chain."
VNG H&V Managing Director Konstantin von Oldenburg added specific demands. Necessary are a flexibilization of EU criteria for green hydrogen, strengthening the climate protection contract, and an extended network fee exemption for electrolyzers beyond 2030. Additionally, he advocated for sustainable stabilization of greenhouse gas quotas through a triple counting of green hydrogen.
