Rheinmetall Develops Modular Plants for Synthetic Fuels

Rheinmetall AG, together with several partner companies, today presented a concept for the production of synthetic fuels. The aim of the project is to enable European armed forces to produce synthetic fuels independently. The project, called “Giga PtX,” envisions the establishment of a Europe-wide network of several hundred modular e-fuel production plants in cooperation with additional project partners. Based on electricity, hydrogen, and CO₂, the plants are designed to produce—depending on the application profile—diesel, marine diesel, or kerosene in quantities of 5,000 to 7,000 tonnes per plant per year.

Among the participants is the Essen-based start-up Greenlyte Technologies, a member of the H₂ Start-up Cluster at DIE GAS- UND WASSERSTOFFWIRTSCHAFT, which contributes its technology for capturing CO₂ from ambient air. The modular design allows for operation independent of existing infrastructure and enables flexible deployment, thereby increasing location independence. Sunfire, an electrolyzer manufacturer based in Dresden, supplies the technology for producing green hydrogen from renewable electricity. INERATEC GmbH of Karlsruhe is responsible for the chemical synthesis of the fuels using power-to-liquid processes, in which hydrogen and CO₂ are converted into liquid hydrocarbons. Rheinmetall, acting as general contractor, is responsible for system integration, design, construction, as well as maintenance and operation of the plants.

“Maintaining supply chains for fossil fuels will be a major challenge for European nations in the event of defense operations. With the Giga PtX plants, Rheinmetall and its partners are sending a strong signal for industrial transformation, climate protection, and Europe’s security resilience,” said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG.

According to Rheinmetall, the plants can be implemented at short notice once the necessary political and regulatory framework conditions are in place.