The recent initiation of field testing on the converted combined heat and power (CHP) plant in the Othmarschen area of Hamburg, Germany, marks a step forward in a joint flagship project by INNIO Jenbacher and HanseWerk Natur.

This 1MW pilot plant from INNIO Jenbacher represents the world’s first large-scale gas engine in the 1MW range that can be operated either with 100% natural gas or with variable hydrogen-natural gas mixtures up to 100% hydrogen.

The testing programme will evaluate how the plant operates with different hydrogen-natural gas mixtures and is expected to provide important insights for the future operation of similar plants. “By field-testing this INNIO CHP plant with up to 100% hydrogen, we are demonstrating that a greener, more reliable, more flexible and future-orientated energy supply for Hamburg is technically feasible,” explained Thomas Baade, technical director of HanseWerk Natur GmbH.

The converted CHP plant provides 30 residential buildings, a sports center, a daycare center, and the Othmarschen Park leisure complex with a reliable supply of local heating that equates to 13,000MWh every year. The electricity generated is fed to electric vehicle charging points in Othmarschen’s multi-level parking garage, as well as to the local power grid.

“Our joint project with HanseWerk Natur is a key milestone on the path toward climate neutrality since green hydrogen is an important part of the solution. A particularly attractive aspect of our gas engine technology is that existing natural gas engines can also be converted to run on hydrogen. This offers operators security of investment, with the added benefit that the existing infrastructure can not only be utilised in the longer term but also deployed in a way that is environmentally sound,” said Carlos Lange, president and CEO of INNIO.