The Living Lab
Intelligent production, storage, transport, marketing and use of green hydrogen
Green hydrogen plays a key role in the successful implementation of the energy transition. Produced through electrolysis using renewable electricity, it is also easy to store and enables efficient sector coupling by balancing weather-related fluctuations in solar and wind power generation, as well as seasonal demand fluctuations and peak load coverage. Furthermore, it has a wide range of applications: whether in electricity or heat supply, in mobility, or even in the chemical industry. So far, however, the development of a global hydrogen economy is still in its infancy. This is precisely where Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt comes in.
Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt is a large-scale real-world laboratory for the intelligent production of green hydrogen, as well as its storage, transport, marketing and use. As a real-world laboratory for the energy transition, the entire value chain of green hydrogen is being tested for the first time on an industrial scale. Using a large-scale electrolysis plant of up to 30 MW and renewable electricity from a nearby wind farm, green hydrogen is produced. Temporarily stored in a salt cavern created specifically for this purpose, the green hydrogen can be fed into the hydrogen network of the chemical industry based in Central Germany via a converted gas pipeline and, in the longer term, used for urban mobility solutions. In this way, the real-world laboratory helps to research these future technologies around green hydrogen and bring them to market maturity—for a technologically strong and future-oriented hydrogen region in Central Germany and successful sector coupling throughout the Federal Republic of Germany.
Project status
After the project officially started in September 2021 with the handover of the funding approval notice, planning and permitting were the focus in the first project phase. This first phase was completed with a positive final investment decision (FID) by the consortium partners.
The second phase of the project, which began in June 2023 and focused on construction, was launched with a high-profile groundbreaking ceremony attended by the prime ministers of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. By May 2024, construction of the eight wind turbines had already been completed, and the converted transmission pipeline was successfully commissioned in April 2025. In July 2026, the gas processing plant operated by DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg also began operations.
Since August 2026, the Energiepark has also been RFNBO-certified. The certificate confirms that hydrogen production at the Energiepark meets European requirements for renewable hydrogen. This certification is therefore an important step toward the production and commercialization of green hydrogen.
Contact Person
Cornelia Müller-Pagel
Spokesperson for the
consortium and
Head of Green Gases
VNG AG
Project timeline
Project funding
With a total project budget of approximately 208 million euros, investments are being made in the future of the hydrogen region in Central Germany, and research on sector coupling is being actively advanced. As a “real-world laboratory for the energy transition,” the vast majority of the project components are being funded with approximately 44 million euros in federal funds as part of the 7th Energy Research Program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The seven consortium partners are also contributing a total of just over 164 million euros of their own funds to the real-world laboratory.
Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH is investing 75 million euros in the wind farm at the Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt. This major investment is thus a key component of a secure and sustainable energy supply in Central Germany.
Alliance of experienced partners with proven expertise
Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH has been developing and delivering turnkey projects in wind power and photovoltaics for more than 25 years. Many years of experience as a planner, investor, operator and operations manager make it possible to support full project delivery—from site search through to turnkey handover of the facilities—from every perspective and to shape the individual project phases with in-house expertise. In addition, the company operates nationally and internationally as a service provider and technical consultant and can draw on extensive experience from more than 300 projects with over 1,500 wind turbines.
Uniper is an international energy company headquartered in Düsseldorf with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, the company makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe, particularly in its core markets of Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Netherlands. Uniper’s activities include power generation in Europe, global energy trading and a broad gas portfolio. The gas portfolio is being gradually expanded to include green gases such as hydrogen and biomethane, with the aim of long-term conversion. As a hydrogen pioneer, Uniper is active worldwide across the entire value chain and is implementing projects to make hydrogen a cornerstone of energy supply.
VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V), headquartered in Leipzig, supplies gas reliably and flexibly to domestic and international trading companies, resellers, municipal utilities, power plant operators, and industrial customers. Innovative products, a wide range of services, and customized solutions provide comprehensive support for the further development of energy supply and the implementation of energy sector transformation processes. With sales offices throughout Germany and in neighboring countries, investments and business contacts across much of Europe, and as a subsidiary of VNG AG, VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH is always close to its customers and well-positioned internationally.
VNG Gasspeicher GmbH (VGS) is Germany’s third-largest storage operator, with currently around 2.2 billion cubic metres of usable storage capacity. As a wholly owned subsidiary of VNG AG headquartered in Leipzig, VGS has almost 50 years of experience in constructing and operating underground gas storage facilities and the associated technological processes. VGS’s core business is operating storage facilities and marketing storage capacities. In addition, VGS acts as technical operator for third-party storage facilities and provides engineering services for its customers in plant construction and metering technology.
ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH is a supra-regional transmission system operator within the European gas transport system, headquartered in Leipzig. For customer gas transport, ONTRAS operates Germany’s second-longest long-distance gas network with more than 7,500 km of pipeline and around 450 interconnection points. As a reliable partner, the company brings together the interests of transport customers, traders, regional network operators and producers of renewable gases. 22 biogas plants and two power-to-gas plants feed green gases (biomethane, synthetic methane or hydrogen) into the ONTRAS network.
DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg is a research institute of the DVGW (German Association for Gas and Water). Through numerous projects, it conducts research on the entire supply chain for gaseous energy sources. Since 2005, it has been working on projects related to the integration of green hydrogen. Its expertise ranges from underground gas storage and transportation to hydrogen utilization technologies in industry and households.
VNG is a group of companies operating throughout Europe with more than 20 subsidiaries and approximately 2,000 employees. As an importer, wholesaler, and operator of critical gas infrastructure, VNG makes a significant contribution to the security of Germany’s gas supply. At the same time, the company is committed to decarbonizing the energy system. Against this backdrop, VNG is making targeted investments in biogas and hydrogen, expanding hydrogen-compatible infrastructure, and thereby gradually laying the groundwork for the ramp-up of renewable and low-carbon gases in Germany and Europe.
BMWE as sponsor of the Living Lab for the Energy Transition
As a Living Lab for the Energy Transition, Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Under the Federal Government’s 7th Energy Research Programme, the BMWE supports companies and research institutions such as Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt that develop new technologies and solutions for the energy transition and implement them under real conditions and at industrial scale. The Living Labs for the Energy Transition are intended to serve as a link between technology development and market penetration, accelerating the transfer from research to market.
HYPOS – a strong partner of Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt
Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt builds on the preliminary work of several research projects carried out as part of the activities of HYPOS e.V. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), cross-project consortia within the HYPOS network are researching innovation potential—from power provision to the production, storage, distribution and use of green hydrogen—in the fields of chemicals, refineries, mobility and energy supply. Together, more than 140 HYPOS members are pursuing the goal of establishing a cross-sector green hydrogen economy in the Central Germany hydrogen region.