BP gets funding for 100 MW electrolyzer at Lingen refinery in Germany

British oil company BP has secured funding for a green hydrogen plant at its Lingen refinery in Germany.

The funds, received from the Lower Saxony regional government and Germany's Economy Ministry as part of the European Union's IPCEI Hy2Infra initiative, will help advance the development of the plant.

BP plans to set up a 100 MW electrolyzer that will produce 10,000-11,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year through electrolysis of water. The power to run the electrolyzer will primarily be sourced through a power purchase agreement with an offshore wind farm.

The green hydrogen produced at Lingen will be used for captive purpose at BP's own refinery, but also be supplied to local industries, including local steel and chemical producers, to help them decarbonize operations.

This will be the first fully-owned and operated green hydrogen facility for BP, which under its former CEO had stated a desire to go green faster than rivals.

The Lingen electrolyzer is also bigger than existing projects of similar nature, such as the green hydrogen plant at the SHEL Rheinland refinery belonging to Shell. The Anglo-Dutch company had launched a 10 MW electrolyzer there in 2021.

BP has big ambitions in the green hydrogen space. Last year, the company has also launched HyVal, a green hydrogen cluster at its Castellón refinery in Spain. The initiative aims to develop up to 2 GW of electrolysis capacity in a phased manner by 2030.