BASF and GIG Karasek are building one of the world’s largest industrial heat pumps at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site in Germany to produce CO₂‑free steam. The heat pump system will contribute to the energy transformation of BASF’s Ludwigshafen site by electrifying steam production, with commissioning planned for mid‑2027.

The heat pump will deliver nearly 50 megawatts of thermal power and, using green electricity, generate CO₂‑free steam primarily for formic acid production. This approach could avoid up to 98% of the site’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to a reduction of around 100,000 tons of CO₂ per year. Waste heat from the cooling processes of one of the two steam crackers on site will be used to generate the steam.

In October of last year, BASF received a funding commitment from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to support the project. The government is backing the initiative through its Climate Protection Contracts program with up to approximately €310 million.

The picture shows from left to right: Alexander Fronz, Heat Pump Project Manager, BASF SE; Christian Aucoin, President Global Engineering Services, BASF SE; Julia Aichhorn, Managing Director, GIG Karasek; Helmut Winterling, President European Verbund Sites, BASF SE; Peter Menck, Head of the Industrial Decarbonization Funding Programs and Climate Protection Contracts Division, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi); Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director, GIG Karasek; Tim Lerch, Heat Pump Project Manager, BASF SE.