McPhy Energy awarded a maintenance contract for Audi Power-to-Gas plant in Werlte (Germany)

[La Motte-Fanjas, 21 May 2015]

McPhy Energy, specialized in hydrogen production and storage equipment for industry and energy markets has been selected to provide preventative and corrective maintenance services for the Audi e-gas plant in Werlte, Germany. This decision is a consequence of a partnership between Audi and McPhy which started in late 2013, when McPhy Energy finalized the installation and commissioning of the 6 MW water electrolysis plant for the Werlte installation.

The plant uses surplus green electricity to produce hydrogen from water in three alkaline electrolyzers. The hydrogen is reacted with CO2 to produce synthetic methane, or Audi e-gas. It is virtually identical to the fossil, natural gas, and is distributed via an existing infrastructure, the German natural gas network, to CNG filling stations for Audi’s A3 g-tron series. Audi produces up to 1,000 metric tons of e-gas per year, chemically binding some 2,800 metric tons of CO2. This roughly corresponds to the amount that a forest of over 220,000 beech trees absorbs in one year. Water and oxygen are the only by-products.

“We trust in McPhy Energy’s capabilities and strong customer-focus to provide the best possible support for sustaining a high reliable and performing plant technology”, said Reiner Mangold, Manager Sustaining Product Development at Audi.

The 6 MW alkaline electrolyzer is a key component of the e-gas power plant technology, making it possible to extract hydrogen from water through surplus electricity. Through its expertise, the McPhy Energy’s subsidy in Wildau (Germany) has further optimized this technology ( today known as “Alcaline 2.0” electrolysis) and developed in-depth experience assuring its integration into energy infrastructures such as electrical or natural gas networks.

McPhy Energy is a turnkey partner for power-to-gas applications offering value-added equipment and engineering know-how.