Rheinmetall has presented a new strategic concept for the energy supply of European armed forces. The aim is to produce synthetic fuels such as diesel, marine diesel, or kerosene in a decentralised manner, independent of fossil supply chains. The "Giga PtX" project envisions the establishment of a Europe-wide network of several hundred modular e-fuel plants.
Each plant is expected to produce 5,000 to 7,000 tonnes of synthetic fuel annually, depending on the deployment profile. Rheinmetall offers the role of general contractor and takes on the design, construction, system integration, as well as maintenance and operation of the plants.
Technology Partners Provide Key Components
For the implementation of the project, Rheinmetall has teamed up with several German technology companies. Electrolyser manufacturer Sunfire supplies pressurised alkaline electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen. Additionally, Sunfire's SOEC technology (Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell) is to be used. This utilises process heat in the form of steam, enabling higher conversion efficiency with the same power requirement.
The start-up Greenlyte contributes a modular technology for direct CO₂ capture from ambient air. This allows production to occur independently of existing infrastructures, making site selection more flexible.
The conversion of hydrogen and CO₂ into synthetic fuels takes place via the RWGS and Fischer-Tropsch processes. These are provided by the Karlsruhe-based company Ineratec, which already operates Europe's largest power-to-liquid plant in Frankfurt am Main. Up to 2,500 tonnes of e-fuels are produced there annually.
Goal: Energy Autonomy and Resilience in Defence
Rheinmetall sees the project as a contribution to Europe's security policy resilience. "Warfighting capability requires a resilient energy infrastructure," says Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG. Maintaining fossil supply chains is challenging in the event of defence.
According to Rheinmetall, the first plants can be realised at short notice as soon as political and regulatory conditions are in place.
Sunfire, based in Germany and Switzerland, employs over 650 people and develops industrial electrolysers based on pressurised alkaline and SOEC technology.
Greenlyte was founded in 2022 and has raised over 45 million euros in capital and funding. The company develops technologies for the simultaneous production of green hydrogen and CO₂.
Ineratec specialises in modular power-to-X plants and produces e-fuels for applications in aviation, shipping, and the chemical industry.
