After two years of construction, EnBW has commissioned a hydrogen-capable gas power plant in Stuttgart. The "H2-ready" facility with 124 MW of electrical capacity replaces existing coal boilers and is expected to be able to run on hydrogen by the mid-2030s.
According to an EnBW press release dated April 11, the H2-ready gas power plant in Stuttgart-Münster has an electrical capacity of 124 megawatts (MW) and a thermal capacity of 370 MW.
Following about three years of planning and approval, groundbreaking took place in early April 2023. After two years of construction, the site now features a new gas turbine system with a capacity of twice 62 MW, including waste heat and hot water boilers. "Things are moving in the energy transformation. EnBW is currently implementing half of all gas power plants under construction in Germany," says Peter Heydecker, Board Member for Sustainable Generation Infrastructure at EnBW.
"With the switch from coal to natural gas alone, we are making controllable generation significantly more climate-friendly with around 60 percent less CO₂ emissions. Probably from the mid-2030s, we want to take the next step and operate the plant after a second fuel switch with up to 100 percent low-CO₂ hydrogen, when it becomes available in sufficient quantities."
Advantages of the location
The Stuttgart-Münster site is unique in EnBW's power plant portfolio: The facility's main focus is on the thermal recovery of waste, in other words, waste incineration. For optimal fuel utilization, district heating and electricity are simultaneously generated according to the principle of combined heat and power (CHP). Previously, three coal boilers supplied the additional heat needed when the waste incineration plant was insufficient for district heating supply in winter. These coal boilers are being replaced by the new hydrogen-capable gas power plant.
Together with the existing waste incineration plant, the entire site has a thermal capacity of 450 MW. Since April 2024, a large heat pump has also been generating up to 24 MW of district heating. The heating plant, together with the Stuttgart-Gaisburg and Altbach/Deizisau sites, forms the Middle Neckar district heating network, which supplies heat to over 28,500 apartments, 1,400 companies, and 380 public institutions in Stuttgart and the region.
Power plant secures electricity and heat supply
While EnBW proceeds with the commissioning, the company is calling on policymakers to create a legal framework for further investments. Georg Stamatelopoulos, CEO of EnBW, emphasized: "The power plants needed for security of supply and grid stability cannot be financed through electricity revenues from the few expected operating hours alone. Therefore, it is necessary for the federal government to create an appropriate market incentive framework for further investments as a priority."
The so-called H₂-ready fuel switch power plant is also intended to step in as a flexible facility during fluctuations in the power grid. For example, it would become active when weather conditions mean insufficient renewable power is available. With its short start-up time, it can respond immediately to such fluctuations. According to the company, this makes an important contribution to security of supply in southern Germany.
Coal phase ends in Stuttgart-Münster in 2026
The project is part of a larger initiative. EnBW is currently also converting the previously coal-fired sites in Altbach/Deizisau and Heilbronn to hydrogen-capable gas power plants. All three projects have a total capacity of around 1.5 gigawatts. The total investment volume is approximately 1.6 billion euros. In May 2024, the energy provider decided to invest up to 30 billion euros in modernizing its existing assets.
After a brief period of parallel operation, it plans to completely shut down the coal unit and the old oil-fired gas turbines at the Stuttgart-Münster site in spring 2026. This step is also intended to support the city of Stuttgart's climate protection efforts. The state capital aims to be completely climate-neutral by 2035.
Stuttgart's Mayor Frank Nopper praised his city's pioneering role: "It's great that Stuttgart is at the forefront in this area: EnBW's first fuel-switch power plant is being commissioned in Stuttgart today. And Stuttgart will be the first, or at least one of the first, coal-free cities in Germany."
