New hydrogen engine from INNIO ready for operation after passing all tests
• Engine prototype passes acceptance tests while fueled with 100 percent hydrogen
• Pilot plant for hydrogen cogeneration plant in Hamburg-Othmarschen will start operation as early as 2020/21 heating season
• INNIO Jenbacher gas engine converted to run on fuel ranging from natural gas and hydrogen variable mix up to 100 percent hydrogen
HAMBURG (Germany) – JENBACH (Austria) – September, 16, 2020 – INNIO and HanseWerk have just reached a key milestone in their joint project focused on establishing a 1 MW class hydrogen cogeneration power plant in the center of Hamburg. The prototype for the new engine to be used in this pilot plant has successfully passed all test runs at INNIO's development test bench in Jenbach.
The Hamburg-Othmarschen project has taken a significant step forward: “This final approval stage proves that this ground-breaking new technology works,” says a delighted Carlos Lange, President and CEO of INNIO. “At our test bench we apply the highest standards one could demand of a new product. And our new engine – the first Jenbacher gas engine that can be operated with 100% natural gas and with variable hydrogen-gas mixes up to 100 percent hydrogen – has passed the test with flying colors.”
Thomas Baade, Technical Director of HanseWerk Natur GmbH, adds: “There is now nothing standing in the way of us forging ahead with our project. This means that we will convert the natural gas-powered cogeneration plant in the UCI cinema complex in Othmarschen to run on 100 percent hydrogen. By doing so, we want to demonstrate how, in the future, one can operate a cogeneration plant with green hydrogen, that is hydrogen generated from excess wind energy, and thus generate climate-friendly power and heat. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a greener, more secure, flexible and forward-looking energy future in Hamburg.”
A highly innovative project on the road to energy transition
The background to this flagship project is Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein striving to establish Northern Germany as the center of the country’s hydrogen technology. This involves not only driving forward the future use of hydrogen technology in cogeneration plants, but also providing a reliable supply of green hydrogen to customers across the power, heat and transportation sectors, which the City of Hamburg wants to achieve. Additionally, the project also involves simulating the admixture of hydrogen into the natural gas grid. The conversion of the existing cogeneration plant will take place in the fall of 2020. Similarly, to the Hamburg-Othmarschen cogeneration plant, other existing gas engine power plants could be converted to run on a hydrogen-gas mixture or on 100 percent hydrogen in the future.
About HanseWerk AG
HanseWerk AG is a German energy service provider with a focus on grid operation and decentralized energy generation. It supplies around 1.3 million customers in the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, and Lower Saxony with electricity, natural gas, water, or heat. Through its subsidiary, HanseWerk Natur, the company is responsible for 560 miles (900 kilometers) of local heating networks, 9,000 heating plants in addition to 200 combined heat and power plants. Over the last few years, HanseWerk AG has connected 36,000 plants for the generation of renewable energy, feeding 8,900 MW into the grid. The business is majority-owned by the German energy group E.ON.
About INNIO
INNIO is a leading solutions provider of gas engines, power equipment, a digital platform and related services for power generation and gas compression at or near the point of use. With our Jenbacher and Waukesha product brands, INNIO pushes beyond the possible and looks boldly toward tomorrow. Our diverse portfolio of reliable, economical and sustainable industrial gas engines generates 200 KW to 10 MW of power for numerous industries globally. We can provide life cycle support to the more than 50,000 delivered gas engines worldwide. Supported by a wide service network, INNIO is represented in more than 100 countries and can respond immediately to service needs. Headquartered in Jenbach, Austria, the business also has primary operations in Welland, Ontario, Canada, and Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA. For more information, visit the company's website at www.innio.com. Follow INNIO on Twitter and LinkedIn.
For further information, please contact:
Susanne Reichelt
INNIO
+43 664 80833 2382