Project realization despite Exytron bankruptcy

Originally at the end of 2023, an “emissions-free taxonomy natural gas power plant” was to go into operation in Lübesse, a municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. But as with so many projects, there have been delays: One project partner went bankrupt, and not least the price increases of recent years have necessitated rescheduling. But despite all the adversity, the responsible parties have stuck with it and are now targeting 2025/2026 for the start of production.

The official start of construction for the energy conversion plant south of Schwerin took place, after four years of preparation, in March 2022. In the presence of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s economy minister Reinhard Meyer, the start signal, a symbolic tease, was given for this sector coupling project, in whose framework climate-neutral synthetic fuels (e-fuels) were to be produced.

Contrary to earlier plans, however, a natural gas-fired CHP plant will no longer be built. The methane produced is to be used for the production of renewable liquefied natural gas (rLNG) for the transportation sector. Alternatively, feeding into the existing natural gas grid is also conceivable. In addition, this project now focuses on supplying the residential areas of Lübesse, including the commercial areas, with local heating.

At the time, Exytron GmbH was still on board. The technology company from Rostock had to file for insolvency at the end of August 2022, however. The managing director Klaus Schirmer tried to save what could be saved, but in the autumn of 2022, it became clear that liquidation was unavoidable, so several employees then took on other work.

As a result of the insolvency, the project was delayed by about a year, after negotiations with construction companies, suppliers and banks had already led to scheduling problems due to price increases and delivery bottlenecks. In the meantime, however, after a public tender in autumn 2023, an internationally active system manufacturer was able to be gained. Heiko Teichmann, managing director of Lübesse Energie GmbH, showed corresponding confidence to H2-international: “The energy conversion plant will be manufactured, installed and operational in the timeframe of 2024/2025, so starting the end of 2025/beginning of 2026, the putting into operation and subsequently a continuous supply of potential distributors with rLNG and a feeding of heat into the still to be built local heating grid will be possible.”

Power-to-X systems in business park

Concretely planned is, on an area of around 20,000 square meters (215,280 sq ft) in the business park of Lübesse, construction of a hydrogen and methane production plant that will have an electrolysis capacity of up to 8 MW in the first expansion phase. It is to serve in part for the storage and utilization of green electricity from local wind turbines, for which the 20-year EEG feed-in subsidy has expired, and for a clean and affordable energy supply for the village as well as an adjacent commercial area. Additional green electricity will come from regional and supraregional wind power generation and photovoltaic systems. The economy ministry of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has assured support of the project with 15 million euros. The wind farm developer Naturwind from Schwerin as well as VR-Bank Nord eG from Flensburg are still in.

Bernd Jeske, managing director of Lübesse Energie GmbH, said: “The decentralized approach means that energy is consumed there where it is generated. In addition, the project combines the clean electricity transition with the transport and heating transition and shows how sector coupling can be driven forward.”

On further planning, Teichmann stated: “The unavoidable waste heat generated in connection with the exothermic processes of electrolysis and methanation will be fed into a new local heating network, which is to supply both the residential buildings and the business park in Lübesse with heating energy.”

Author: Sven Geitmann