BASF: 54 MW electrolysis capacity now online at Ludwigshafen

BASF’s newly installed electrolyser will produce about 8,000 tons of renewable hydrogen per year. Source: BASF.

Click to learn more. BASF’s newly installed electrolyser will produce about 8,000 tons of renewable hydrogen which will be used as a raw material in the company’s wide range of chemical products. Source: BASF.At its Ludwigshafen facility, BASF has begun operating its newly installed, 54 MW-capacity proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyser. The electrolyser plant, constructed in partnership with Siemens Energy, will produce about 8,000 tons per year of renewable hydrogen – eliminating about 72,000 tons of GHG emissions from the company’s onsite production process.

The 72-stack electrolyser plant is fully integrated into the chemical infrastructure at the site, ensuring that the hydrogen produced will feed into the site’s hydrogen Verbund network and distributed for use as a feedstock for chemical production.

Prior to this development, the site’s 250,000 tons per-year hydrogen consumption was predominantly met by steam methane reforming. As hydrogen is an important precursor for a range of chemicals including ammonia, methanol and vitamins, its production from renewable sources can significantly reduce BASF’s carbon footprint.

This milestone is a product of project Hy4CHem, which was funded through concerted effort by Germany’ Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the state government of Rhineland-Palatinate (€124.3 million combined) and BASF (€25 million). The renewable hydrogen will boost the company’s growing portfolio of low carbon footprint products which thus far includes bio-balanced ammonia, urea, among other products.

The commissioning of the electrolyzer makes it possible for us to support our customers in achieving their climate targets by offering them products with a lower carbon footprint. At the same time, we are gaining experience at our largest Verbund site with the integration and operation of a system that brings us another step closer to transforming our main plant in Ludwigshafen.

Katja Scharpwinkel, member of BASF SE’s Board of Executive Directors and Site Director Ludwigshafen, in her organisation’s official press release, 17 March 2025

The commissioning of the electrolyzer at BASF for the production of green hydrogen is a milestone for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and Europe and an important commitment of BASF to its technology and production site in Ludwigshafen. With the Hy4Chem project, BASF is impressively demonstrating how the transformation of the energy-intensive chemical industry can succeed – innovatively, sustainably, and internationally competitively.

Alexander Schweitzer, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, in BASF’s official press release, 17 March 2025

It is the largest project of its kind in Germany to date, making it an important pioneer as we strive to achieve our climate targets. Through this collaboration, BASF is demonstrating what decarbonization of the industrial sector can look like in practice and inspiring further technological progress.

Udo Philipp, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, in BASF’s official press release, 17 March 2025