PtX Lab Lausitz presents Strategic Orientation from 2026 onwards

Opened in 2021 on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and based at Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, PtX Lab Lausitz has been contributing to the market ramp-up of climate-neutral power-to-X (PtX) products as a practice-oriented catalyst for five years now.

On 22 January 2026, the management team explained the focus of the competence centre for the coming years. In PtX Lab Talk #16: Zukunft gestalten: Die vier Fachgebiete des PtX Lab Lausitz stellen sich vor' the head of the Lausitz competence centre and the four specialist area managers provided an insight into the thematic priorities.

Dr Harry Lehmann, head of the PtX Lab Lausitz, opened the event with the competence centre's vision: ‘We are shaping a future in which people live in harmony with nature, use resources fairly, are climate-friendly in their mobility and produce sustainably.’

This vision forms the basis for the work of the approximately 45 employees. Together, they are tackling the growing complexity of the transformation and making it clear that industry, mobility, technological development and political and economic conditions are closely interlinked. Consequently, the PtX Lab Lausitz team is developing holistic solutions.

Four Specialist Areas of the PtX Lab Lausitz

The heads of the specialist areas then took a closer look at what these look like in concrete terms.

Anita Demuth, head of the PtX Mobility specialist area, kicked things off. Her team focuses on the energy transition in transport through the global use of sustainable fuels in aviation and shipping, for which they develop science-based recommendations for politics, business and society.

Dr Stefan Günthner, head of section PtX Technology, works with his team to accelerate the market readiness of PtX technologies and technologies for direct air capture (DAC) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). His department's work also addresses the question of how PtX plants can be optimally integrated into existing and future supply networks and how technological developments can be successfully demonstrated.

The section PtX Basic Materials, headed by Dr Sarah Bernhardt, focuses, among other things, on securing the supply of non-fossil raw materials through sustainable and resilient resource strategies. The aim is to enable the defossilisation of the chemical industry by 2045 or 2050. Political recommendations, certifications, sustainability, acceptance and understanding are taken into account in all these key areas.

The final input came from Felix Schmermer, head of section PtX Policy & Market Ramp-up. As the name suggests, his team is dedicated to providing targeted policy advice and establishing adequate political and regulatory frameworks on the one hand, and promoting the market ramp-up of PtX products on the other. The aim is to position PtX in the context of resilience and energy autonomy, taking into account renewable energies and accompanying implementation measures.

Questions from Participants and Outlook

The concluding discussion addressed key questions on the scalability of PtX technologies, the availability of raw materials and renewable energies, international market developments and regulatory frameworks.

The number and depth of the contributions underscored the great interest in an integrated view of the PtX market ramp-up and confirmed the need for interdisciplinary exchange.

Once again, it became clear how closely industry and mobility, political and economic conditions are linked and why it is essential that they be developed together.