KIT launches PtX-Wind project to produce synthetic fuels on a floating platform

In Germany, KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and partners intend to produce synthetic fuels on a floating platform using wind energy, seawater, and ambient air. For this purpose, the “PtX-Wind” project was launched under the H2Mare lead project. A corresponding modular plant was installed on a barge and lies operational at anchor in Bremerhaven. Later this year, it will start producing synthetic fuel directly on the sea just off the Helgoland Island.

The first floating test platform demonstrating a complete power-to-X process chain for synthetic fuels was opened on July 08, 2025 under the H2Mare hydrogen lead project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. “We wanted to test the entire planning process including approval, construction, and real-world operation of the plant to learn how to draw up concepts for building larger production platforms,” said Professor Roland Dittmeyer, Head of KIT’s Institute for Micro Process Engineering and coordinator of the “PtX-Wind” H2Mare project during the opening ceremony in Bremerhaven.