Germany: TotalEnergies and RWE join forces on green hydrogen to decarbonize the Leuna refinery

TotalEnergies has taken a significant step toward its 2030 goal of decarbonizing the hydrogen used in its European refineries by signing an agreement with German developer RWE. Under the deal, RWE will supply 30,000 tons of green hydrogen annually to the Leuna refinery in Germany for a period of fifteen years, starting in 2030.

The green hydrogen will be produced by a 300 MW electrolyzer, which RWE will build and operate in Lingen. Local storage facilities will be used to house the hydrogen, which will then be transported via a 600 km pipeline to the refinery. This initiative is expected to prevent approximately 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year, making it the largest green hydrogen contract from an electrolyzer in Germany to date.

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, emphasized the significance of the partnership: “We are excited to further strengthen our collaboration with RWE, our partner in several offshore wind projects in Germany and the Netherlands. This long-term green hydrogen contract is a major step in reducing CO2 emissions at our Leuna refinery. Its success will depend on the completion of the H2 backbone by German authorities and their continued support for green hydrogen customers like our refinery.”

Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE, highlighted the importance of the agreement: “We are proud to have secured Germany’s first long-term green hydrogen offtake agreement of this scale with TotalEnergies. Just six months after the investment decision for our 300-megawatt electrolysis plant in Lingen, we have secured an anchor customer. This proves that hydrogen can be viable with the right incentives in place.”

TotalEnergies' Commitment to Refinery Decarbonization

TotalEnergies remains focused on reducing the carbon footprint of its energy production, conversion, and supply processes. A key part of this strategy is the use of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonize its European refineries, an initiative expected to cut its CO2 emissions by around three million tons annually by 2030.

To fully transition the hydrogen used in its refineries to green and renewable sources, TotalEnergies has already secured contracts for over 200,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen per year. These agreements cover its sites in La Mède, Grandpuits, and Normandy in France, as well as Leuna in Germany, its northern European refineries, and facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, and Zeeland, the Netherlands.