EnBW Commissions Gas Turbine Hydrogen Power Plant in Germany

EnBW recently commissioned a power plant equipped with hydrogen-ready gas turbines, one of Germany’s first, at the Stuttgart-Münster waste incineration site. Following three years of planning and approval and two years of construction, EnBW modernized the site with a 62-MW turbine construction featuring waste-heat boilers and hot-water boilers. The new plant will generate 124 MW of electrical energy and 370 MW of thermal energy for Stuttgart.

“The energy transition is underway,” said Peter Heydecker, Chief Operating Officer for Sustainable Generation Infrastructure at EnBW. “EnBW is currently building half of all gas-fired power plants now under construction in Germany. Solely by switching from coal to natural gas, we are making dispatchable generation significantly more climate-friendly with around 50% lower carbon emissions. From the mid-2030s, we expect to take the next step and, after a second fuel switch, operate the plant on up to 100% low-carbon hydrogen, provided that this is available in sufficient quantities.”

After a period of parallel operation, the cogeneration plant’s coal-fired unit and fuel oil-fired gas turbines will be decommissioned in spring 2026. Upon successfully completing trials, the plant will enter commercial operation. The hydrogen-ready fuel-switch power plant can start quickly, respond to grid fluctuations, and deliver renewable energy during poor weather conditions. These aspects build out Germany’s renewable energy portfolio and overall energy security.

The new H₂-ready plant in Stuttgart-Münster; image credit: EnBW

“This project shows how energy companies and local partners can pull together and make the energy transition succeed,” said Frank Nopper, Lord Mayor of the City of Stuttgart. “The commissioning of the new gas turbine power plant in Stuttgart-Münster marks an important milestone in that transition for Stuttgart. By using natural gas, the city of Stuttgart’s district heating will be made completely coal-free and carbon emissions will go down by around 60% by 2030. This is an example of how traditional power plant sites can be made sustainable for the benefit of all.”

Stuttgart-Münster + Other Plants

The Stuttgart-Münster facility leverages combined-heat-and-power (CHP) to generate district heating and electricity, fulfilling both base- and peak-load supply. Specifically, the plant comprises:

• Hard coal-fired power plant with three coal-fired boilers
• Waste incineration plant with three waste-fired boilers
• Three steam turbines
• Large-scale 24-MW heat pump

The boilers generate additional heat during the winter, primarily when the waste incineration plant fails to produce volumes sufficient enough for district heating.

“The State of Baden-Württemberg is a pioneer in the heat energy transition, with our municipal heat plans providing the blueprint for the municipal heat planning legislation adopted at national level,” said Andre Baumann, State Secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. “New gas-fired power plants like this one in Stuttgart-Münster will also play a role in the ongoing success of the heat energy transition in Baden-Württemberg.”

EnBW is also converting coal-fired CHP facilities in Altbach/Deizisau and Heilbronn to hydrogen operation, reinforcing the decarbonization of its 1.5-GW power portfolio with a €1.6 billion total investment. The Stuttgart-Gaisburg and Altbach/Deizisau CHP plants serve a wide-ranging district heating network in the central River Neckar region, supplying more than 28,500 homes, 1,400 businesses, and 380 public facilities within/out Stuttgart.

More EnBW News

In late December 2024, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. finalized a 15-year LNG sales and purchase agreement with EnBW, supplying 0.6 mtpa sourced from the under-development Ruwais LNG project—located in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Deliveries are expected in 2028, after the project enters commercial operation.