Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO Set Global Standards for Climate Neutral Energy Supply by 2035

KIEL, Germany, March 8, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO are working on the conversion of the coastal power plant in Kiel that will allow the facility to operate on 100% green hydrogen (H₂) by 2035, ten years ahead of the German government's climate targets. With this, Europe's most advanced large-scale engine-based combined heat and power plant is setting new global standards for climate-neutral energy supply. An important requirement for keeping to the ambitious schedule is that sufficient green hydrogen is available in time and on economic terms. Today, both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the project. 

"We need flexible backup power plants so that Kiel and Germany can be securely supplied with power - especially when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. There is no getting around this basic law of physics," asserts Dr. Jörg Teupen, Board Member for Technology and Personnel at Stadtwerke Kiel AG. "In order to achieve climate neutrality for this type of power plant operation, hydrogen must be readily available to us. However, this is dependent on Europe having an abundance of hydrogen available over the coming years," continues Teupen.

The two companies' joint ambition is founded upon the "Eight-Point Program: Route to Climate Neutrality" established by Stadtwerke Kiel AG, the energy supplier pushing ahead with the energy transition with this program. With the original aim to be fully climate neutral in the generation of power and district heating by 2040 at the latest, the energy supplier has now brought this date forward by five years to 2035 based on its hydrogen project.

"We are setting new global standards in collaboration with Stadtwerke Kiel. The coastal power plant in Kiel is the first of its kind globally whose technology could theoretically be converted to green hydrogen today. Nevertheless, for the conversion to happen no later than 2035, policymakers need to put the correct framework in place right now," says Dr. Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO.

The Stadtwerke Kiel coastal power plant supplies more than 73,500 homes with eco-friendly district heating and also generates electricity for the region. In doing so, the highly flexible large-scale engine-based combined heat and power plant ensures there is a secure and environmentally friendly supply of energy. INNIO's Jenbacher engines are the first hydrogen engines at megawatt scale. The company, based in Tyrol, Austria, is among the first to be able to convert the majority of its installed engines to run on green hydrogen. The conversion of Jenbacher engines from natural gas to green hydrogen will result in the advanced, flexible coastal power plant becoming entirely climate neutral by 2035.

About INNIO

INNIO is a leading energy solution and service provider that empowers industries and communities to make sustainable energy work today. With our product brands Jenbacher and Waukesha and our digital platform myPlant, INNIO offers innovative solutions for the power generation and compression segments that help industries and communities generate and manage energy sustainably while navigating the fast-changing landscape of traditional and green energy sources. We are individual in scope but global in scale. With our flexible, scalable, and resilient energy solutions and services, we are enabling our customers to manage the energy transition along the energy value chain wherever they are in their transition journey.

INNIO is headquartered in Jenbach (Austria), with other primary operations in Waukesha (Wisconsin, U.S.) and Welland (Ontario, Canada). A team of more than 4,000 experts provides life-cycle support to the more than 55,000 delivered engines globally through a service network in more than 100 countries.

INNIO's ESG Risk Rating places it number one of more than 500 worldwide companies in the machinery industry assessed by Sustainalytics.

For more information, visit INNIO's website at www.innio.com. Follow INNIO on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Source: INNIO Group