The BASF of Germany has started building an industrial-scale heat pump that will use electricity from renewable energy sources to produce up to 500,000 MT CO2-free steam every year. Commissioning is planned for mid -2027.
A groundbreaking ceremony has taken place for one of the world’s largest industrial heat pumps for CO2-free steam generation.
The industrial heat pump is being developed by the German chemical manufacturer BASF in collaboration with project partner Gig Karasek on Basf’s Ludwigshafen site in the West Germany.
The heat pump, with a thermal output of 50 MW, will use electricity from renewable energy sources to produce up to 60 MT CO2-free steam per hour annually, equal to 500,000 MT steam, which will mainly be used for the production of formic acid.
It will also use waste heat produced by cooling processes in one of the two steam crackers on the site. With an area of approximately 2,000 m2 next to the steam cracker, it is connected to the plant via pipe bridges.
BASF says that the heat pump is expected to reduce the annual greenhouse gas emissions that are generated on the Ludwigshafen site by a maximum of 98%, which annually corresponds to the reduction of 100,000 MT CO2.
Commissioning the heat pump, which was supported by a € 310 million ($ 361.8 million) Financing package from the German government last October is planned for mid -2027.
Helmut Winterling, President European Verbund -Zocations of BASF SE, noted that the electrification of crucial production processes and energy generation is the key to achieving climate neutrality in the chemical industry.
“In our gas and steam plants, emission-free steam from the heat pump will now partially replace conventionally generated steam that are derived from fossil fuels,” added Winterling. “Our goal is to offer our customers products with a lower CO2 footprint. We achieve this through both biomass balance methods and through targeted investments in green technologies such as heat pumps.
BASF gave an assignment in March 54 MW Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer on its Ludwigshafen site after two years of construction.
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