GreenRoot project: Planning of a 500 MW electrolyzer in Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Leipzig-based energy company VNG AG, its wholly-owned gas trading subsidiary VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V) and the Dutch hydrogen company HyCC are planning to jointly develop an electrolyzer to produce green hydrogen in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany. Fichtner is supporting the project team in planning the plant.

The green hydrogen is intended to help local industries reduce their CO2 emissions. The three companies announced their plans in early December 2024 in the presence of the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, the Mayor of Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Torsten Zugehör, the Managing Director of Stadtwerke Lutherstadt Wittenberg GmbH, Andreas Reinhardt, and Carsten Franzke, the Managing Director of SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH, a producer of basic materials for industrial and agrochemicals.

The electrolyzer will have a capacity of 500 MW to make green hydrogen from water using renewable electricity. The green hydrogen can be used by local industry, such as SKW Piesteritz, to replace natural gas in the future and reduce the use of fossil fuels. Thanks to a planned connection to the German hydrogen network, the GreenRoot project could also supply other industrial customers in the Central German chemical triangle, supporting them on their path to decarbonization. The parties will also look into possible synergies to deliver heat from the plant to the municipal utilities company of Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Fichtner is supporting the project team in planning the plant with its more than 30 years of experience in the field of hydrogen. In addition, Fichtner's experts are assisting the project in preparing the approval process.

“The GreenRoot project, with its scale and ability to supply key customers, shows that hydrogen can contribute to sustainable value creation in a region and thus strengthen an industrial location in the long term. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of the project with our experience,” says Matthias Schlegel, Head of Fichtner's Hydrogen Division.

The approval and consultation phase of the project will begin in 2025, and the project partners aim to make the final investment decision in 2026. The plan is to start operations in 2029.

You can find all information about the GreenRoot project on the VNG AG project page