First Green Hydrogen Produced at Bad Lauchstadt Energy Park – News and Statistics

Nov 11, 2026

At the Bad Lauchstadt Energy Park, green hydrogen has now been generated for the first time, Hydrogen Central reports. The initiative turns wind power into a gas meant for industrial applications, but before the hydrogen can be used as intended in Leuna, the interplay among the different systems still has to be tested.

Konstantin von Oldenburg, Managing Director of Trading and Sales at VNG, said this first output brings the partners closer to their common aim of transforming renewable energy into a source that industry can use. Holger Kreetz, Chief Operating Officer at Uniper, said generation had already been running for several days. TotalEnergies intends to start delivering green hydrogen to customers in early 2027.

How the Plant Works

Electricity for making the hydrogen comes from a linked wind farm. That power is fed into a unit called an electrolyzer, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The wind farm’s capacity is roughly 50 megawatts, while the electrolyzer’s capacity is 30 megawatts. Those numbers refer to the capacity of the installations, not to how much hydrogen is produced.

Following the initial production run, routine deliveries to industry have not yet started. The project partners are currently checking that every step works dependably in combination, from power generation through hydrogen output and gas purification to transport. Purification removes impurities so that the gas satisfies the quality standards industrial applications require.

Pipeline Conversion and Offtake

An existing natural gas pipeline of about 25 kilometers has been repurposed to carry hydrogen. Going forward, it will feed the energy carrier into the hydrogen network serving the Central German chemical industry and supply the TotalEnergies refinery in Leuna. Under the plan, TotalEnergies will buy roughly 3,000 metric tons of hydrogen next year. Von Oldenburg said the long-term purchase agreement with the company was already secured when the final investment decision was taken, and that this commitment was what made the project feasible in the first place.

Kreetz said the priority now is dependable operation of the whole process chain, stretching from the wind farm to gas transport. Full operation of the entire system is planned for 2027. Industry is seen as the main user at first, and the project also names solutions for urban transportation as a possible application later on.

Framework Conditions and Investment

Kreetz said infrastructure by itself will not be sufficient to grow Germany’s hydrogen economy. More customers are required, as is the chance for companies to convert their production to hydrogen in a sustainable and affordable way. Policymakers, he said, must establish dependable framework conditions, which he described as the major piece still absent.

Hans-Joachim Polk, Chief Technology Officer at VNG, said lessons from Bad Lauchstadt could benefit other projects and that the partners want to encourage others. Timm Kehler of the Gas and Hydrogen Industry Association called for patience, saying the hydrogen ramp-up will take somewhat longer.

Confidence that hydrogen has a future remains strong in the industry, although the topic seems to carry less weight in the ministry responsible for energy than it did a few years ago. Understanding of the energy source’s importance persists, yet dependable political framework conditions are missing.

The project partners are putting a total of 210 million euros into the initiative, with 44 million euros of that coming from federal funding.