BASF and its cooperation partner GIG Karasek held a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony today at the Ludwigshafen site for one of the world’s largest industrial heat pumps for CO2-free steam generation.

Dr. Peter Menck, Head of the Department for Funding Programs for the Decarbonization of Industry and for Climate Protection Agreements at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, was present as construction officially began on a heat pump system that will contribute to the energy transformation of BASF’s main plant by electrifying steam production.

The heat pump currently under construction will have a thermal output of just under 50 megawatts and will use electricity from renewable sources to produce CO2-free steam, which will be used primarily for the production of formic acid. It will reduce the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated here by up to 98 percent, which equates to a reduction of 100,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. The heat pump will use waste heat produced by cooling processes in one of the two steam crackers at the site.

“The electrification of pivotal production processes and of energy generation is a key component for the chemical industry in achieving climate neutrality. In our gas and steam power plants, emission-free steam from the heat pump will now partially replace conventionally generated steam derived from fossil fuels,” says Helmut Winterling, President European Verbund Sites, BASF SE. “Our goal is to offer our customers products that have a lower carbon footprint. We achieve this both through biomass balance methods and through targeted investments in green technologies such as heat pumps. Thanks to funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, we can progressively and strategically invest in sustainable technologies here at our Ludwigshafen site in order to supply the European market with green products.”

The industrial heat pump, which is being developed in cooperation with project partner GIG Karasek, will cover an area of around 2,000 square meters next to the steam cracker and will be connected to the plant via pipe bridges.

The architecture of the heat pump and many of its components have been specially adapted to the technical operating environment, such as its connection to the steam cracker and its integration into a chemical production environment.

The heat pump, with its capacity of 60 metric tons of steam per hour (up to 500,000 metric tons of steam per year), is also setting new standards in terms of temperature lift and capacity. Commissioning of the heat pump is scheduled for mid-2027.

In October last year, BASF received funding approval from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for the implementation of the project. The German government will contribute up to €310 million to the project as part of the Carbon Contracts for Difference funding program.