Reportedly, negative redispatch currently results in yearly costs of €2bn to €3bn to German taxpayers.
The initiatives are designed to deliver flexible, grid-supporting loads while expanding green hydrogen production, contributing to the integration of renewable energy sources in the region. Both projects will incorporate underground cavern storage for hydrogen and operate using a method known as predispatch to manage differences between electricity generation and hydrogen demand.
This operational model, referred to as Netzbrücke or grid bridge, aims to reduce the requirement for conventional redispatch measures in the German transmission system. Redispatch involves grid operators adjusting power plant output to resolve network congestion.
The initial project, Netzbrücke 410, will be developed in Rüstringen. ITM Power will supply a 30 MW green hydrogen production facility equipped with its NEPTUNE V containerised electrolysers, together with associated integration services. Stablegrid expects to make a final investment decision in 2026 and has already secured the required manufacturing capacity from ITM Power.
The second, larger project will provide 680 MW of indoor electrolyser capacity. Preliminary front-end engineering design activities between Stablegrid and ITM Power are scheduled to begin in January 2026, with a final investment decision planned for 2028.
Stablegrid management board member Oliver Feller said: “With ITM Power, we have a strong and experienced partner at our side who brings the technical expertise and excellence required to implement system-stabilising hydrogen projects of this magnitude reliably.”
The growing share of weather-dependent and geographically dispersed renewable generation has increased the frequency of redispatch interventions in Germany. Industry figures indicate that negative redispatch currently generates annual costs ranging from €2 billion to €3 billion for German consumers.
By converting surplus renewable electricity into stored hydrogen instead of curtailing it, the predispatch approach is projected to eliminate these expenses while creating additional value from renewable energy, thereby facilitating further expansion of clean power generation.
ITM Power CEO Dennis Schulz said: “Partnering with Stablegrid on these landmark grid-balancing projects in Germany reinforces ITM’s position at the forefront of the energy transition in Europe’s largest economy.”
The collaboration highlights the increasing role of large-scale electrolysers in providing system flexibility and supporting the continued growth of renewable energy across Germany.
