New gas power plants in Rostock and Lubmin: Progress or danger?

New gas power plants in Rostock and Lubmin: Progress or danger?

At a conference in Rostock, the Minister of Energy from the federal and state governments are advocating for the construction of new gas power plants in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The two possible locations Rostock and Lubmin are the focus, whereby the planned power plants are to be operated with fossil gas. However, a changeover to green hydrogen is intended in perspective. Class = "Source_1"> reports the Ostsee newspaper . Environmental organizations express resistance to the use of fossil fuels and demand faster transition to renewable energies.

The new systems for importing hydrogen in the port of Lubmin are a central part of this energy transition. The companies German Regas and Gascade are significantly involved in this project. The existing infrastructure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline is used for hydrogen import. GASCADE plans to switch one of the three gas tubes south to hydrogen in 2025. From the beginning of 2026, German regas "Greens" wants to import hydrogen via Lubmin reports the Tagesschau .

opportunities and challenges of hydrogen production

A cracker system with a capacity of 30,000 tons is installed to process the internationally bought ammonia. For this purpose, hydrogen is moved with nitrogen and converted back into its original shape by the cracker system. In addition, several companies plan to build electrolysers at the port to produce hydrogen themselves. It is expected that 70 % of the hydrogen required in Germany must be imported according to the Federal Environment Agency .

The challenge of hydrogen use lies in its energy density. Hydrogen can serve as a fuel in gas power plants to secure the power supply and compensate for fluctuating generation from renewable sources. Long-term applications can be found in the chemical industry, the steel industry as well as heavy and air traffic. Nevertheless, the efficient use of regenerative electricity is often preferable, for example in heating systems or in industry, where direct use of more environmentally friendly services enables

In the current discussion about resistance to fossil fuels and progress in the hydrogen infrastructure, the Federal Environment Agency warns that hydrogen plays a role as secondary energy sources in the fossil energy system, but is not the only solution to reduce CO₂ emissions. In addition to hydrogen production, the development and expansion of renewable energy sources are also crucial to ensure sustainable, sustainable energy supply.