World’s largest industrial heat pump will turn waste heat into process steam The chemicals giant BASF is building the world’s most powerful industrial heat pump at its Ludwigshafen headquarters in Germany. It will use waste heat, generated during the cooling and cleaning of process gases in a steam cracker at the site, to produce up to 500,000 tonnes of steam per year. The plant will be powered by electricity derived from renewable energy, resulting in CO2-free steam, most of which will be used to produce formic acid. BASF reckons that the heat pump system could cut its greenhouse gas emissions for this process by up to 98%. A smaller proportion of the steam will be sent to other BASF plants via a steam network. In total, the heat pump will cut greenhouse gas emissions at the BASF headquarters by up to 100,000 tonnes per year. “Incorporating new technologies into our chemical production processes is one of the key components of the green transformation at BASF,”says the company’s chairman, Markus Kamieth. “And our heat pump even has a unique selling point – the planned plant will be the first of its kind to be used for steam generation. There are no comparable industrial pilot projects anywhere in the world. “BASF aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050,” adds Uwe Liebelt, president of BASF SE’s European sites. “We also aim to provide our customers with the best possible support on their transformation journey. Our Ludwigshafen site plays a key role in this regard. We want to turn it into a leading, sustainable chemical production site for Europe. “Electrifying steam generation is a crucial step towards generating the energy we so urgently need in the chemical industry in a more sustainable way.” Work has started on the plant, which is due to be commissioned in 2027. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is contributing around €310m to the cost of the project as part of its Carbon Contracts for Difference funding program. “We are thrilled that the Federal Ministry is supporting our project and thus investing in new processes that play an important role in the development of sustainable value chains in the chemical industry,” says Kamieth. In addition to electricity, steam is one of the most important energy sources in the chemical industry. The Ludwigshafen site primarily uses it as process steam to dry products, heat reactors, and for distillation, among other things. By recovering heat from its production facilities, BASF already meets half of the steam requirements at its main site using a low-carbon process. The other roughly 50% is currently generated by gas and steam power plants. A German chemicals company is installing the world’s largest industrial heat pump system to produce 500,000 tonnes of steam a year for one its processes. A key element of the installation will be 11 large series-connected blowers powered by custom-built HV motors. 52 n CLEAN ENERGY July/August 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com BASF’s large-scale heat pump system will transform the way steam is supplied to produce formic acid, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 98%.
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