The Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park received this year's H2Eco Awards at HANNOVER MESSE 2024 on 23 April. Bad Lauchstädt is regarded as a lighthouse project for the energy transition. The award is organised by the Deutschen Wasserstoff-Verband (DWV) e. V. and Deutsche Messe AG and is under the patronage of Economics Minister Habeck.
Cornelia Müller-Pagel (Project Manager of the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt and Head of Grüne Gase at VNG AG) and Prof. Dr Hartmut Krause (Managing Director of the Department Wissenschaft & Bildung of the DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg) accepted the award on behalf of the seven consortium partners in the project on the stage of the Public Forum Hydrogen + Fuel Cells EUROPE.
Müller-Pagel was delighted: „We are incredibly grateful for this award. Since the ground-breaking ceremony last year, we have already achieved significant milestones such as Germany's first supply contract for green hydrogen and the topping-out ceremony for the building of the 30 MW large-scale electrolyser. In the meantime, the first value creation stage, the wind farm with 8 wind turbines and an output of 50 MW, is already nearing completion. This award shows us that we are on the right track and emphasises the importance of the project for the future of green hydrogen in Germany. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners who are working with us on the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt. The H2Eco Award is a further incentive to continue on our path with all our enthusiasm and energy.“
Prof. Dr. Krause, whose team is providing scientific support for the energy park, was also delighted with the award: „The great interest and support for our project inspire us in our daily project work on the way to realising the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt. As a real-life laboratory for the energy transition, the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt is a beacon and has inspired many other hydrogen projects. It is a unique opportunity for us to test new technologies and solutions under real-life conditions on an industrial scale. We want to get forward-looking concepts for a secure and climate-neutral energy supply with green hydrogen up and running in Germany as quickly as possible.“
Since 2022, the award has been presented to a project with a relevant energy industry contribution to the ramp-up of the H2 economy. The H2Eco Award is endowed with prize money of 5,000 euros and goes to initiatives that „endeavour to tackle the issue on a small scale“. This year's donation will go to the Hamburg-based Heinze Akademie, which offers a certified training course for Ukrainian refugees to train them as specialists in the hydrogen economy.
(Quelle: Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt)
