Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt Wins Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence

Energiepark Bad Lauchstädt has won second prize at the Hydrogen TCP Awards of Excellence 2026. First prize went to the EU-funded project H2GLASS. The Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme (Hydrogen TCP) was set up within the International Energy Agency (IEA). Since 2022, it has presented the awards together with the Clean Energy Ministerial Hydrogen Initiative (CEM-H2I). This year's competition ran under the motto "From Supply to Demand: Driving Hydrogen Solutions". 18 projects from twelve countries applied.

The entire value chain at one site

At the Energiepark, a wind farm with eight turbines and around 50 megawatts of capacity supplies electricity to a 30-megawatt electrolyser. The green hydrogen it produces is purified and metered. It then flows through a pipeline of around 25 kilometres, which used to carry natural gas and has been converted, to a refinery in Leuna. There it is meant to replace hydrogen from fossil sources in industrial processes. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) funds the project as a "Real-World Laboratory of the Energy Transition" under the 7th Energy Research Programme.

A model beyond Germany

Consortium spokesperson Cornelia Müller-Pagel says the award belongs to all the partners involved. She hopes the experience gained in Bad Lauchstädt can serve as guidance internationally as well. Axel Bree of the BMWE calls the Energiepark an important milestone for scaling up hydrogen in Germany. In his view, the project shows that the value chain works, from renewable generation through to industrial use.