Copyright: iStock/Petmal
Background to the construction of a power-to-liquid pilot plant in Lusatia.
Electricity-based fuels, power and basic materials, known as Power-to-X (PtX) products, make a fundamental contribution to climate protection and the defossilisation of the economy. Above all, they must be used where the direct use of electricity from renewable sources is technically impossible or difficult.
This applies above all to aviation and shipping, as well as to the chemical industry. Aviation, for example, which is responsible for a considerable share of global greenhouse gas emissions, needs to replace fossil jet fuel with synthetic fuels sustainably produced using the power-to-liquid (PtL) process. This is a major technical and economic challenge.
The PtX Lab Lausitz is committed to the environmentally friendly and sustainable production and use of PtX technologies. To this end, the competence centre is developing the technical basis for their market ramp-up.
Lusatia's transformation from a coal-based to a post-fossil energy region
Both the establishment of the PtX Lab Lausitz and the construction of a PtX pilot plant in the Lausitz region are provided for in the Coal Regions Investment Act (Investitionsgesetz Kohleregionen (InvKG)). Lusatia offers suitable conditions as a location for the plant.
The high proportion of renewable energies and the geographical proximity to companies in the aviation industry in Brandenburg are already making Lusatia, which is in transition from a former coal-based to a post-fossil energy region, a pioneer of the energy transition.
The construction of a pilot plant for the production of PtL fuels on an industrial scale will equip the industrial region for the future, secure jobs and support the structural change.
Pilot plant for jet fuel from renewable energy in Lusatia
The competence centre is also advising the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) on the recently launched BMWK call for expressions of interest in the construction of a power-to-liquid demonstration plant in Lusatia. It is supporting the BMWK in the expression of interest and funding process and will also work together with the funding recipient on content in order to do justice to the character of a pilot plant.
In order to find out which conditions must be met for the construction of a PtL pilot plant, the PtX Lab Lausitz has already carried out fundamental site investigations in 2022. With the help of these, various site factors, such as infrastructure, transport connections or the availability of necessary resources such as water and a CO2 source, can be estimated and compared.
The feasibility analysis derived from this identified site-related strengths and weaknesses, but did not determine a specific location. It provided important basic data for further considerations. In order to identify the most efficient and effective option for the construction and operation of the PtL pilot plant, the PtX Lab Lausitz is also examining various technical options for the production of synthetic fuels.
The aim of the call for expressions of interest is to transparently identify potential implementing companies. The goal is to issue the funding decision to build the plant in 2026, thus supporting the market ramp-up of PtL products on an industrial scale. The pilot plant in Lusatia, for which the BMWK is providing funding of up to approximately 400 million euros, will lead the way.
Copyright: iStock/Petmal
PtX Lab Lausitz – Think and Do Tank for Fuels and Basic Materials from Green Hydrogen
The PtX Lab Lausitz provides ongoing support to the BMWK as a knowledge platform, source of inspiration and point of contact for industry and politics, science and the public. The experts at the Lusatian competence centre create scientific foundations, organise complex technical relationships and develop strategies for the sustainable production of PtX products from a holistic point of view.
The PtX Lab Lausitz uses its events and publications to provide information on topics such as the framework conditions for raw material supply and regulation. With feasibility studies, analyses, policy papers and specific panel discussions, the experts promote discourse on climate protection in the mobility sector and the chemical industry and provide political decision-makers with specific recommendations for action.
