Electric utility EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG intends to build a hydrogen-capable gas and steam turbine plant in Karlsruhe, Germany, with 850 MW of electrical capacity and 220 MW of district heating output, according to initial plans.
EnBW cannot yet provide exact technical details, the company said on Wednesday.
The city council in Karlsruhe adopted on April 29 a resolution in principle to support the project, called RDK 9. A full formal approval process will take place in due time.
The planned facility, which will combine heat and power generation, will replace an existing hard coal power plant.
“Especially in southwestern Germany, we urgently need around 6.5 GW of additional dispatchable power generation capacity to support renewable energy and achieve a complete coal phase-out. We are pleased that the Karlsruhe City Council wants to support EnBW in this expansion through its resolution,” Michael Class, head of generation portfolio development at EnBW, commented.
Class noted that the realisation of the project will significantly depend on future political frameworks and that the company relies on support via a competitive tender process. EnBW expects a corresponding auction to take place next year.
The announcement was made soon after EnBW commissioned in April a hydrogen-ready gas turbine power plant with a capacity to supply 124 MW of electricity and 370 MW of thermal energy in Stuttgart. The company is also converting its coal-fired sites in Altbach/Deizisau and Heilbronn into hydrogen-ready gas power facilities. The total capacity of the three projects is around 1.5 GW, with a combined investment volume of around EUR 1.6 billion (USD 1.82bn). (May 2, 2025, Source: https://renewablesnow.com/news/enbw-plans-hydrogen-capable-gas-plant-in-karlsruhe-1274653/)
GERMANY - GREENH2 - Production