• World's first automotive plant with hydrogen pipeline connection 
•  Milestone for energy resilience and further decarbonization 
•  Industrial transformation in cooperation with politics and energy partners 

Leipzig. The BMW Group Plant Leipzig celebrates today the symbolic start of construction of a roughly two-kilometre-long Hydrogen pipeline as a connection to the future Hydrogen core network. Completion and connection are in the first Half-year 2028 planned. This will be the location of the world’s first be an automotive plant that directly via a pipeline with hydrogen is supplied.

The milestone will be accompanied by Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and Christian Shepherd, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Transport. Participation of Land and Bund underlines the importance of the project: the construction of a Powerful hydrogen infrastructure is a common task of companies, energy partners and politics and an important contribution for sustainable industrial locations in Germany. This H2 Pipeline Project will be funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (ERDF) and the Free State of Saxony co-financed and makes an important contribution to building a Sustainable hydrogen infrastructure in Saxony.

“BMW has been showing for years how hydrogen is in the industrial sector Production can be used. With the new pipeline, Leipzig will to the anchor point for the hydrogen economy and to one of the first Saxon industrial sites on the hydrogen core network. That strengthens the Competitiveness of our industry and create the basis for hydrogen to arrive where it comes from for production It is needed," Prime Minister Kretschmer said at the symbolic start of construction.

BMW Group pushes ahead with innovative hydrogen use in Leipzig

The Leipzig plant has been using hydrogen since 2013 in the Intralogistics. Today, the plant sets more than 230 forklifts and Route train tractor with hydrogen fuel cell drive and thus operates the largest fleet of fuel cell farms Intralogistics vehicles in Europe. Hydrogen has also been coming since 2022 in the paint shop for use: There are now eleven bivalents Paint burner installed that flexibly natural gas or hydrogen can burn.

The pipeline enables the supply of our paint shop with Hydrogen in completely new sizes. She's with it Milestone and pillars to secure our future Energy resilience and offers potential for the further Decarbonization of our production," says Petra Peterhänsel, Head of Production BMW Group plant Leipzig.

With the pipeline connection, hydrogen will be able to advance natural gas in the future replace everything where energy-intensive processes replace high temperatures need. This is the case with the dryers in the paint shop. The The bivalent natural gas and hydrogen burners are also used Gaining experience of technical and economic experience Framework conditions of the up-and-rot of the _H 2 core network to include a to be able to represent optimized operation of the plants.

Local solutions for effective energy management

The hydrogen pipeline in Leipzig is a component of the Global energy management of the BMW Group. The approach does not follow anyone flat-rate model, but relies on technology-open, site-specific solutions. In Leipzig, a long-standing one form Hydrogen experience, concrete industrial applications and the direct connection to the emerging H ₂ infrastructure the Basis for a long-term resilient energy supply.

Think globally, act locally
 

The BMW Group relies on solutions for energy supply, which fit the respective location. Locals are crucial Infrastructure, costs and available energy sources. So Connects the company security of supply, competitiveness and decarbonisation. In the future, the locations should not only energy consume, but also self-create, store and flexible Use. They become so-called prosumers.

Digital control complements this approach at the BMW Group: Virtual power plants connect producers, consumers and storage; and optimize energy flows data-based. This allows locations to burden More flexible control, support grid stability and their Reduce dependence on market and price fluctuations.

Transformation requires reliable framework conditions

The industrial transformation towards a Energy supply with hydrogen succeeds only in the interaction of Companies, energy partners and policy. It needs one for that accelerated expansion of energy infrastructure, international competitive energy costs and certified recognition of quality characteristics. For molecule-based energy sources, this means Specifically: A rapidly available hydrogen core network including Distribution infrastructure, competitive network charges, a cheaper available climate-friendly energy source, investment and Planning security as well as practical and European harmonised Certifications.

Strong partners for a resilient energy supply

The connection of the BMW Group plant in Leipzig to the future H ₂ core network is a common step by industry and Energy partners. The BMW Group has gas transport with ONTRAS GmbH, which is designed to build the hydrogen core network in the region is responsible, a capacity reservation agreement agreed. The Construction work for the approximately two-kilometre-long connecting line for the BMW Group Plant Leipzig including gas pressure control and measuring system takes over MITNETZ GAS GmbH. In doing so, those involved are doing their Contribution to making hydrogen industrially usable as an energy source and the energy supply of the Leipzig site in the long term More resilient.

A resilient energy supply is not only created in the Interaction of companies, energy partners and politics, but also with the involvement of society. From the point of view of the BMW Group are Transparency, reliability and early participation important Requirements for acceptance and planning security. With projects like the hydrogen pipeline in Leipzig, the company is doing a concrete contribution, industrial competitiveness, decarbonisation and to combine regional value creation.

Source:   FCW Team