Lhyfe Inaugurates Germany’s Largest Renewable Hydrogen Production Site

Lhyfe, one of the world’s pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen for the decarbonisation of mobility and industry, inaugurated its first commercial production site in Germany in the presence of Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Thekla Walker, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy of Baden-Württemberg and Richard Arnold, First Mayor of the City of Schwäbisch Gmünd, along with other distinguished guests. This is Lhyfe’s fourth production site, and its first outside France.

On a one-hectare plot of land in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, Lhyfe has installed a plant capable of producing up to 4 t of renewable hydrogen per day (installed capacity of 10 MW). This hydrogen, produced via the electrolysis of water using renewable energy, is to be used to decarbonise heavy-duty mobility and industry. For example, in heavy-duty transport, 4 t of renewable hydrogen is enough to power 100 trucks for around 400 km per day, without emitting any CO₂.

To secure its supply of renewable electricity, Lhyfe has signed PPAs with producers in Germany, including EDPR. On site, the facilities have been built in a container format with stackable modules to reduce their footprint. These modules handle the entire renewable hydrogen production and distribution process, from electricity conversion, cooling, water treatment and electrolysis, to hydrogen purification, compression and filling. The filling stations allow trucks or tube trailers to drop off empty containers and collect full ones to deliver renewable hydrogen to Lhyfe’s customers.

Decarbonising heavy-duty mobility and industry in Baden-Württemberg and Germany
This renewable hydrogen is intended to supply customers in the mobility and industrial sectors. An agreement has already been announced for the supply of regional hydrogen refuelling stations of H2 MOBILITY, the leading hydrogen refuelling station operator in Germany. Besides the customer base which Lhyfe has already built up in Baden-Württemberg, this site is also expected to supply a future distribution station in Schwäbisch Gmünd.

For industrial applications, renewable hydrogen offers a carbon-free alternative to grey hydrogen and natural (fossil) gas, particularly in the chemical, steel and glass sectors. Lhyfe’s production site in Schwäbisch Gmünd could also supply the planned hydrogen-powered “H2-Aspen industrial zone”.

The project was subsidised by the state of Baden-Württemberg (€2.1m) and the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (€4.3m), as a flagship project within the “H2-Wandel – Model Region for Green Hydrogen Baden-Württemberg” initiative.

RFNBO-certified hydrogen available to all types of customers

The Schwäbisch Gmünd site obtained its RFNBO (Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin) certification in September 2025. RFNBO is the European Union’s most stringent standard for renewable hydrogen under the European Renewable Energy Directive. It certifies that Lhyfe’s hydrogen production at its Schwäbisch Gmünd site is 100 % renewable and complies with the environmental and traceability criteria that must be met by sustainable activities under the EU Taxonomy. The RFNBO certificate provides Lhyfe’s customers with proof of the sustainability of the molecule purchased, thus enabling them to be eligible for national and European grant schemes.

Present in Germany since 2020 through its German entity, Lhyfe has already built and operated a first unit in Baden-Württemberg on behalf of Deutsche Bahn as part of its “H2goesRail” project. The company made its first deliveries of renewable hydrogen in Germany in 2023 to support the development of the first ustakes, thanks to a strong network of customers and partners and a well-established logistics chain. Since 2021, with the gradual commissioning of three sites, Lhyfe has built up logistics expertise capable of optimising a rapidly growing container fleet. In 2024, the company made more than 470 deliveries in Europe, with a service rate of 99 %.

Today Lhyfe operates 70 tube trailers ranging from 380 to 1000 kg in capacity, a modern H2 containers fleet. With the commissioning of this fourth unit in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Lhyfe is strengthening its regional network and will continue to play an active role in the development of the renewable hydrogen sector in Germany by supplying the many players in the mobility and industrial sectors who, without needing an on-site unit, require regular and intensive supplies.

Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg (co-funder of the project): “With the production site by electrolysis of water in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg is taking an important step forward in ramping up hydrogen technology. This flagship project, supported by the state, sends a strong signal: we are ready for a sustainable future.”

Thekla Walker, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy of the State of Baden-Württemberg (co-funder of the project): “We have to play an important role in the international hydrogen market. To do so, we need to overcome challenges, from infrastructure to costs. We in the state of Baden-Württemberg are supporting important projects. One particular example of this is the model region H2-Wandel and the successful completion of electrolyser construction by the company Lhyfe. I am delighted to see such pioneers paving the way to a sustainable and climate-neutral future.”

Dr Joachim Bläse, District Administrator (Landrat) of the Ostalbkreis: “I am delighted that the first production site by electrolysis of water in the Ostalbkreis has now been inaugurated. With projects such as Lhyfe’s hydrogen hub, companies are venturing into new markets and new technologies. Both come with uncertainty and risk — and for that, we need bold pioneers who show that it can be done.”

Nicolas Gibert-Morin, Head of Unit “Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands” in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) representing the European Commission (co-funder of the project): “Through the ERDF, the European Union supports model regions for green hydrogen in Baden-Württemberg, such as here in the Mittlere Alb-Donau- Ostwürttemberg region. This makes perfect sense: developing a green hydrogen economy can boost innovation, create jobs and foster growth across the European Union.”

Richard Arnold, Oberbürgermeister First Mayor of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd: “With the opening of the 10 MW water electrolysis production site by the French company Lhyfe, Schwäbisch Gmünd is becoming a key location for green hydrogen in southern Germany. This new climate-neutral energy carrier enables companies to develop new products and create added value. As part of Baden-Württemberg’s Green Hydrogen Model Region, I would like to thank the European Union and the state’s Ministry of the Environment for their support, which made this project possible.”

Luc Graré, Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Lhyfe: “We are proud to inaugurate Lhyfe’s very first site outside France, here in Baden-Württemberg, a state that has continued its efforts in recent years to establish itself as a model for the deployment of renewable hydrogen. With our three units in operation and some of the most advanced logistics in Europe, we have demonstrated our operational capabilities. We are now ready to open a new chapter in Lhyfe’s history in Germany, to deliver ever-increasing volumes and, in the long term, to develop on-site production units to meet the most significant needs, similar to the projects we are already carrying out in several European countries.”

(Source: Lhyfe)