On Wednesday, February 22, Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), presented the notice confirming a grant of 28.5 million euros to the Referenzkraftwerk Lausitz GmbH (RefLau Reference Power Plant) and the research consortium comprising Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Systems IEG (Fraunhofer IEG), Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg) and Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), at the Schwarze Pumpe industrial park. The funding is supplied by the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) for the joint project “Living lab: RefLau – Lusatia Reference Power Plant.”  The handover took place on RefLau's premises, in the Gründer- und Kompetenzzentrum Dock 3 Lausitz (Start Up and Skills Center Dock 3 Lusatia).

In 2019, the RefLau project for a reference power station in Lusatia succeeded in receiving funding in the nationwide ideas competition organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, “Reallabore der Energiewende” (Energy Transition Living Labs). The strategic goal is to demonstrate the future of energy supply using renewable energy sources and hydrogen, including the storage and reconversion of hydrogen into electricity at the Schwarze Pumpe industrial site. One of RefLau’s objectives is to identify potential for hydrogen offtake in the region. Before operations start in late 2025, plans are underway to secure the first customers and harness synergies for establishing a hydrogen economy.

At the Schwarze Pumpe industrial park site, this novel power plant concept will demonstrate the potential of sector coupling using only renewable energies such as wind and solar power. The production of green hydrogen will enable industry as well as the transport and heating sectors to use energy generated from renewable sources, thus taking an important step towards reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Thanks to the research component, RefLau can also provide all the ancillary services of a conventional power plant, such as primary and secondary control reserves, in addition to hydrogen and heat.

Moreover, the projects set up by the partners Energiequelle, ENERTRAG and the Zweckverband Industriepark Schwarze Pumpe (Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park Joint Board – ZV ISP) will open up new value-added potential for the region. This will serve as a reference point for the conversion of conventional power plants to renewable energy generation. There are plans to upscale the project at the site in Lusatia.

The research and development partners for the joint project “Living lab: RefLau – Lusatia Reference Power Plant” are Fraunhofer IEG, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and Technische Universität Dresden.

The project is supported by ASG Spremberg GmbH, which encourages business development in the Spremberg and Spreetal region.

Statements:

Federal Minister

Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action: “With the Reference Power Plant in Lusatia, BMWK is supporting an important living lab which marks a milestone in Lusatia’s transformation from a lignite mining region into an energy transition region. Together with the States of Brandenburg and Saxony, we are taking a step towards the future today in Lusatia – an important step on the path to climate neutrality. At the same time, this strengthens the competitiveness of the region as a cross-state business location. This living lab is a project from the region for the region. I would like to thank everyone who believed in this project and who are now making it a reality.”

State Ministers

Jörg Steinbach, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy in Brandenburg: “The official go-ahead for the Reference Power Plant is a milestone in the energy transition in Brandenburg, which is something we have been working on here for more than a decade across all sectors – electricity, heat, transportation and industry. RefLau will set innovative standards by using exclusively renewable energy and providing all the ancillary services of a conventional power plant. It will also facilitate extensive sector coupling – and sector coupling is precisely what is needed for the success of the energy transition and greater climate protection. I’m confident that RefLau will be the blueprint for the power plants of the future.”

Thomas Schmidt, Saxon State Minister for Regional Development: “The future of sustainable energy production is unimaginable without hydrogen. The Reference Power Plant will help ensure that Lusatia remains an energy-producing region in the future. At the same time, the expertise on energy production available in the region is being put to good use and expanded on. The new power plant will contribute to the establishment of an entire hydrogen value chain in Lusatia. If successful, there will also be great opportunities for growth and employment.”

RefLau management

Dr. Ben Schüppel, Managing Director of RefLau GmbH: “RefLau is an outstanding and ambitious project. Not only does it aim to build an electrolysis plant with reconversion, but, more importantly, to demonstrate that it is possible to set up a business with renewable energy in a sustainable and unrestricted manner.”

Christine Herntier, Mayor of Spremberg and member of the Association Assembly of the Zweckverbandes Industriepark Schwarze Pumpe: “The Reference Power Plant in Lusatia is indispensable for the conversion of the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park from a site that was exclusively used for coal-fired power generation and refinement into a green industrial park. The close interaction between science and industry – here on site in the industrial park – is vital on this journey.”

Michael Raschemann, Managing Director of Energiequelle GmbH: “RefLau makes the idea of transforming lignite-based energy production in Lusatia a reality. We are delighted to support this journey with our pioneering project.”

Dr. Gunar Hering, Management Board of ENERTRAG SE: “We are delighted to be able work together with our partners on a lighthouse project whose impact extends to the entire region and beyond. In Lusatia, a region rich in tradition and shaped by mining and energy production, the energy transition is now taking place – with electricity from renewable energy and green hydrogen.”

Research & development partners

Prof. Mario Ragwitz, Director of Fraunhofer IEG:
“In electricity supply that relies on renewable energy, green hydrogen plays a crucial role as a seasonal energy storage device. Fraunhofer IEG and its research partners are setting up the RefLau living lab and investigating how the power plant will fit into the market of the future. We are working to analyze its system, grid and market integration and demonstrate how it will support the energy transition with hydrogen reconversion and other ancillary services.”

Prof. Steffen Bernet, TU Dresden, Chair of Power Electronics: “Replacing fossil fuels is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The Reference Power Plant in Lusatia provides an outstanding demonstration of the potential of green hydrogen as an energy storage device and for sector coupling. Moreover, it performs all the ancillary services that are crucial for the operation of electrical grids.”

Prof. Michael Beckmann, TU Dresden, Chair of Energy Process Engineering: “The use of wind energy and photovoltaics (PV) as reliable and climate-neutral energy sources can only reach its full potential with the help of energy storage and reconversion. In this context, the Reference Power Plant will make a very significant contribution to achieving the technical readiness of the entire process.”

Prof. Michael Hübner, Vice President for Research and Transfer of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg: “Highly efficient and marketable systems of hybrid power, heat and hydrogen supply as well as their storage are a key building block of the energy transition. Their integration into current and new supply networks is just as important. In collaboration with the project partners for the Reference Power Plant Lusatia project, we are researching innovative control and operating approaches to energy production, distribution and supply in line with our ‘Energy Transition and Decarbonization’ Research Priority Area.”

Prof. Johannes Schiffer, Chair of Control Systems and Network Control Technology, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg: “With the transformation of energy systems, traditional grid control variables are being eliminated, namely conventional power plants with their flywheel energy storage systems. This poses enormous challenges for grid control and system management. With green hydrogen generation and sector coupling, RefLau sets new standards in energy technology and marketing as an innovative power plant – for Lusatia and far beyond.”

www.reflau.com
www.asg-spremberg.de/wirtschaftsstandort/schwarze-pumpe
www.dock3-lausitz.de
www.tu-dresden.de
https://www.ieg.fraunhofer.de/en.html
https://www.b-tu.de/en/

Contact:
Prof. Steffen Bernet
Chair of Power Electronics
Tel.: +49 351 463-42137
 

Prof. Michael Beckmann
Chair of Energy Process Engineering
Tel.: +49 351 463-34493