EnBW broke ground for its third "fuel switch" project on February 23. The coal-fired unit of the combined heat and power plant in Heilbronn is to be replaced by a hydrogen-ready gas and steam turbine plant (CCGT).
The construction of the H2-ready turbine plant in Heilbronn is intended to replace the coal-fired unit 7 of the power plant. This could reduce the power plant's CO₂ emissions by more than 50%, the company announced last Friday (February 23) at the ground-breaking ceremony.
The event was attended by Dr. Andre Baumann, State Secretary in the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector, Harry Mergel, Mayor of Heilbronn, Fred Schulze from the Audi AG plant management in Neckarsulm and EnBW Board Member Dirk Güsewell, among others.
Last year saw the start of construction of the other two "Fuel Switch" projects in Stuttgart-Münster and Altbach/Deizisau. The overall project aims to make the electricity and heat supply in the central Neckar region coal-free by 2026. According to EnBW, it is investing around €1.6 billion in 1.5 GW of flexibly controllable power plant capacity.
H2-ready gas and steam turbine plant
The new CCGT can be operated with up to 20% hydrogen from the moment it is commissioned. The planned hydrogen-ready southern German natural gas pipeline (SEL) will connect the Heilbronn site once it is completed. After the conversion and as soon as hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities, the Heilbronn power plant will be able to produce CO₂-neutral electricity and district heating "after a minor conversion measure".
Until then, the turbine plant will be operated with natural gas. EnBW has concluded a gas supply agreement for this with the US company Venture Global LNG in 2022. From 2026, the Baden-Württemberg-based energy company will purchase 1.5 million tons of LNG from the USA every year for 20 years.
The H2-ready gas-fired power plant will have a maximum electrical output of 710 MW and a district heating output of around 190 MW. At the same time, EnBW is building a heat storage facility with a capacity of 600 MWh and a hot water boiler system with a district heating output of approx. 170 MW. As part of the conversion, part of the district heating network will also be modernized in an energy-efficient manner by switching from a steam network to a hot water network. The district heating networks supply around 300 industrial companies and commercial customers in Heilbronn and Neckarsulm, including Audi AG, as well as around 150 residential buildings.
