The "H2UB (Hydrogen Unit and Battery) Boxberg", a hydrogen and electricity storage centre, is to be built on the site of the former Boxberg lignite-fired power plant. Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (Leag) wants to build the project on the decommissioned plants I and II from the 1990s. The electrolyser and electricity storage complex is set to become "the largest centre for the production and use of hydrogen" in eastern Germany.
The energy company is building the hydrogen and electricity storage centre on the site of Boxberg plants I and II, which were shut down in the 1990s. However, the company has yet to dismantle or demolish the four remaining cooling towers of Plant II.
The modular energy complex in Boxberg includes an electrolyser and a tube storage facility. The electrolyser should be able to produce up to 2,100 kg of hydrogen per hour. The storage facility is planned with a corresponding capacity of 2,000 MWh. The hydrogen power plant will initially have an output of 10 MW. By adding further fuel cells and turbines, the electricity suppliers could scale it up to 500 MW.
Storage capacity of more than 1,000 MWh
At the same time, Boxberg is to become the site of Leag's first gigastorage facility. The aim is to achieve a storage capacity of more than 1,000 MWh with batteries. This makes it one of the largest battery storage facilities in Germany, according to Germany's second-largest electricity producer
The amount of energy that can be stored and withdrawn within 10 hours corresponds to the annual energy requirements of almost 300 households. In addition to the lithium-ion batteries, two different redox flow battery technologies are to be used.
Leag has also planned the start of construction of a 380 kV switchgear (GIS) for 2025. It will connect the renewable power generation in the vicinity of the Boxberg power plant site, the GigaBattery and the hydrogen power plant. The connection to the 50 Hertz transmission grid is also possible via the new switchgear. LEAG plans to provide a total of 7 GW of green electricity generation by 2030 and up to 14 GW by 2040.
