Plettenberg-based Brockhaus Hydrogen demonstrated its plans to produce green hydrogen to a delegation led by Arnsberg District President Heinrich Böckelühr. Brockhaus Hydrogen wants to produce its own hydrogen and use it both at Brockhaus Stahl and to operate a hydrogen filling station. Hydrogen production is to begin shortly.
Brockhaus Hydrogen wants to produce green hydrogen itself in the future. Arnsberg District President Heinrich Böckelühr therefore visited the hydrogen project in South Westphalia with Department Director Thorsten Schmitz-Ebert and Head of Staff Adrian Mork. Thanks to the support of the Dortmund start-up WEW and the Munk company from Hamm, Brockhaus Hydrogen will soon be able to start producing hydrogen.
Connection to pipeline network not necessary
Since the company wants to produce the hydrogen it needs for its operations itself, a connection to a hydrogen pipeline is not necessary.
"We can and we want to - they just have to let us," was how Caspar Brockhaus summed up the roadmap for the ambitious concept.
Instead of waiting for decisions from politicians, he said, the company wants to create a showcase project now.
Brockhaus BlueCube
The "Brockhaus BlueCube" electrolyzer developed in Plettenberg and Dortmund is to have an output of 3 MW and produces hydrogen by alkaline electrolysis. According to Dr. Harald Bock of Brockhaus Hydrogen, one of the advantages is that no hazardous waste remains.
Such a module, which fits into one and a half sea containers, currently costs around €2.2 million. The green hydrogen produced in it can be used in the future to treat the steel coils at Brockhaus Stahl, provided the appropriate permits are obtained. A hydrogen filling station is also conceivable at the conveniently located site on Herscheider Strasse. In the best case, this would supply a fleet of hydrogen-powered trucks.
However, Caspar Brockhaus says that the industrial electricity used would have to be significantly cheaper than it is now for it to be economically viable. Until that happens, Brockhaus is relying on its own photovoltaic systems and, according to Brockhaus, could soon well imagine using surplus wind power from plants in the surrounding area to store energy.
"Bridging technique or gamechanger"?
District President Heinrich Böckelühr emphasized that the district government is committed to ensuring that the permit is processed quickly.
"But that requires a good application process," the district president stressed, adding, "What you have in mind here can be the initial spark to help companies."
Whether it will be "a bridging technique or a gamechanger" remains to be seen, he said. The decisive factor, he said, will be what the approval procedures in the new area will look like. In order to speed things up, the legislature must create the necessary conditions.
