The GET H2 Nucleus project has reached a key operational milestone. The first electrolysis hydrogen produced in Lingen has arrived at the Marl Chemical Park, about 120 kilometers away in the northern Ruhr area. This was announced by the participating companies RWE, OGE, Nowega, and the Evonik subsidiary SYNEQT. This marks the first time that production, transport infrastructure, and industrial acceptance are interlinked in real network operation.
The hydrogen comes from two 100-megawatt electrolysis plants that RWE is currently commissioning at the Lingen site. As part of the commissioning process, initial quantities of renewable hydrogen are already being produced according to EU rules. The hydrogen reaches Marl via a pipeline network operated by the transmission system operators Nowega and OGE, as well as SYNEQT, where it is used in chemical production.
Expansion of electrolysis capacity by 2027
According to the company, RWE plans to commission an electrolysis capacity of 200 megawatts in Lingen by the end of 2026. From 2027, the entire plant is to produce with 300 megawatts. According to RWE, the hydrogen meets the EU requirements for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO). Buyers receive sustainability certificates and can credit the hydrogen towards their decarbonization targets.
"The fact that certified renewable hydrogen from Lingen reaches Marl via pipelines shows that the interaction of electrolysis, transport infrastructure, and acceptance works," says Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE. "We are now moving quickly towards the full commissioning of our electrolysers. In the coming months, we will prepare the plants for commercial operation."
First component of the hydrogen core network
The newly commissioned pipelines are among the first sections of Germany's hydrogen core network. Parts of the project are funded by the federal government and the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the IPCEI program (Important Projects of Common European Interest) Hy2Infra.
"With the GET H2 Nucleus, our first hydrogen pipelines are going into network operation," says Thomas Hüwener, CEO of OGE. "At the same time, we are creating important foundations for the future market design with the project and testing key processes such as network access, capacity booking, and balancing in real operation."
Frank Heunemann, Managing Director of Nowega, points to the preliminary work in the GET H2 TransHyDE research project. There, the participating companies have gained experience in recent years, which can now be further expanded in system operation.
Further pipelines and cavern storage in preparation
Further pipeline projects are connected to the GET H2 Nucleus. At the end of 2025, OGE and Nowega completed a new 10-kilometer pipeline from Heek to Epe. It connects the planned hydrogen storage facility of RWE Gas Storage West. The company plans to start filling what it claims is Europe's first commercial hydrogen cavern storage by the end of 2026. The storage facility is to go into operation in mid-2027.
By 2027, OGE and Nowega also plan to convert an existing natural gas pipeline from Legden to Dorsten to hydrogen and build a new pipeline from Dorsten to Marl to connect additional industrial customers. A pipeline from SYNEQT, which connects the Marl Chemical Park with the refinery in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven, has already been completed.
Thomas Basten, Chairman of the Management Board of SYNEQT, says: "Here in Marl, the hydrogen can be used directly for industrial needs. At the same time, the availability strengthens the attractiveness of the location for new settlements."
