The Magnum power plant, which has been in operation since 2013, is a state-of-the-art gas-fired power plant with a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts, which is also suitable for running on green hydrogen. It is close to RWE’s Eemshaven power plant, which is fired by coal and biomass and has a capacity of 1,560 megawatts; this is the largest and most modern power plant in the Netherlands. In addition, RWE brought out a bid on the tender for the Hollandse Kust West VII offshore wind farm, where it also wants to build 600 megawatts of electrolysis capacity. “In this way, we can actively support the decarbonisation of industry in the Netherlands and contribute to achieving the Dutch climate targets,” says Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation SE.
Negative CO2 emissions
The proximity of the Magnum power plant and the Eemshaven power plant to the North Sea and former natural gas fields in Groningen will enable the capture and storage of CO2 (Carbon Capture Storage, CCS) in the future. This can ensure neutral and probably even negative CO2 emissions in the area. RWE hopes to get the necessary support from the government to make this technically, politically and economically feasible.
With these developments, the hydrogen infrastructure in the province of Groningen will be further expanded. RWE has also been active here since 2020 with the ‘Eemshydrogen’ project. This is aimed at enabling the large-scale production of affordable green hydrogen. “Green hydrogen is indispensable for the success of the energy transition,” says Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen of RWE Generation SE.
The acquisition of the Magnum power plant is expected to be completed by the end of September 2022, following approval from the works council.
More renewable energy
RWE wants to further expand its renewable energy portfolio in the Netherlands. The company currently operates seven onshore wind farms here with a total installed capacity of over 330 MW and further projects are under development and construction. RWE also operates and develops solar parks, such as the floating solar park at the Amer power plant. The Magnum power plant also includes a solar farm with a capacity of 5.6 MW. Besides the Eemshydrogen project, RWE is also working on the development of onshore and offshore hydrogen projects, such as H2opZee, NortH2 and FUREC, which all contribute to decarbonising industry.
Image: Vattenfall
