Electrolysis corridor in Eastern Germany
IPCEI joint project creates a strong hub for green hydrogen.
Integrated and networked projects are the only way to achieve an efficient hydrogen economy in Germany and Europe. This is accurately what the ENERTRAG project ‘Electrolysis Corridor East Germany’ stands for. This is part of the joint project ‘doing hydrogen’, which links together innovative individual projects in Eastern Germany – and is an important building block for the implementation of the German and European hydrogen strategy.
The transformation from natural gas to green hydrogen requires the establishment of a hydrogen-based value chain. To produce sufficient green hydrogen, electrolyzers need to be built on a large scale – as well as renewable energy plants to supply the necessary green electricity. ENERTRAG does both.
In the electrolysis corridor in Eastern Germany, the capacities are spread across two locations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. The total installed capacity of the electrolyzers is 185 megawatt.
The entire value chain for green hydrogen
The centerpiece of the ‘Electrolysis Corridor Eastern Germany’ is the use of the existing gas grid infrastructure for hydrogen production. The electrolysis sites along a north-south axis in Rostock-Laage (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and Falkenhagen/Prignitz (Brandenburg) are supplied with climate-neutral electricity from ENERTRAG's own wind energy and photovoltaic systems.
Both electrolyzers form a transnational corridor along the ‘doing hydrogen’ hydrogen pipeline and will feed around 17,000 tonnes of locally produced hydrogen into the pipeline each year. The green hydrogen can be supplied to the Concrete Chemicals subproject at the Rüdersdorf site, as well as to other industrial customers - thus contributing to de-fossilization.
Thanks to the geographical distribution of the sites, ENERTRAG is making a valuable contribution to regional development and enabling the efficient utilization of renewable resources. H2 production refines surplus electricity that would otherwise remain unused, thereby increasing local value creation.
It is estimated that the electrolysis corridor in Eastern Germany will avoid greenhouse gas emissions of around 135,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year in the first 20 years of operation.
Project profiles
| Locations: Falkenhagen/Prignitz (Brandenburg) Rostock-Laage (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) |
| Renewable energy capacity: 185 MW electrolysis |
| Hydrogen production: 17,000 t of hydrogen per year |
| Investment costs: 94 m. € |
| Funding program: Funding program Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) |
| Planned commissioning: 2027 |
| Expected CO2 savings per year: 135.000 t |
"For ENERTRAG, the “Electrolysis Corridor East Germany” is one of the most important milestones in the development of the national hydrogen infrastructure. With our electrolyser capacities in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, we have a market share of around 12 per cent in Germany and are helping to supply urgently needed green hydrogen to industrial customers."
Dr. Tobias Bischof-Niemz
ENERTRAG Board Member Projects International & Technology
Technologies of the project
Wind power & photovoltaics
Wind turbines utilize the power of the wind to drive rotor blades and, via these, a generator. In this way, electrical energy is generated. Incident sunlight is used to generate electrical energy in solar cells.
Electrolysis
Electrolyzers split water into hydrogen and oxygen with the help of electricity from local wind and solar power plants.
Authorization by the EU Commission
The joint project ‘doing Hydrogen’ is an association of renewable energy operators, hydrogen producers, hydrogen consumers and gas network operators as part of the IPCEI funding program. In February 2024, the European Commission approved a third wave of IPCEI projects for the development of hydrogen infrastructure in Europe under EU state aid rules. The ‘IPCEI Hy2Infra’ wave of projects was prepared and submitted by seven Member States: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia.
The projects in this wave aim to promote domestic hydrogen production. The aim is to reduce dependence on natural gas and contribute to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan.
The ‘Electrolysis Corridor Eastern Germany’ plays an important role within the project wave. The aim is to establish a stable and economic integration of a hydrogen-based value chain - in the federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The approval of the Hy2Infra wave is a decisive step in this process.
About ENERTRAG
As an independent energy company, ENERTRAG generates electricity and heat exclusively from renewable sources and supplies secure, affordable renewable energy for all areas of life. With over 30 years of experience, ENERTRAG combines all the expertise required for successful operation and efficient maintenance, for citizen-centered planning, reliable construction of energy plants and grids through to complete integrated power plants.
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