Rheinmetall proposes to prepare hundreds of modular hydrogen fuel production plants. They could be a lifeline in the event of a severe war with Russia

Bundeswehr soldiers refuel a Puma-type infantry fighting vehicle. Photo: Philipp Schulze / picture alliance via Getty Images

As Shena Britzke, head of the hydrogen technologies and green fuels program at the German defense company Rheinmetall, stated in an interview with NTV.de, Europe's fuel reserves would last for a maximum of three months of intense combat operations. When this period ends, warehouses will be empty, and the army along with the civilian sector — from tanks and fighters to hospitals and emergency services — will be on the verge of complete collapse.

Despite the global trend towards electromobility, it is currently physically impossible to convert heavy military equipment to batteries.

Simple arithmetic shows: a 'Leopard-2' main battle tank consumes about seven liters of diesel per kilometer in combat conditions. If one were to try to replace this energy with an electric drive, the tank's weight would increase from the current 70 tons to an unmanageable 105 tons solely due to the battery's size.

Therefore, liquid hydrocarbons remain the most compact and efficient way to transport energy on the battlefield. However, dependence on fossil fuels makes Europe vulnerable: the region imports about 98% of its necessary oil and 88% of its gas.

The backbone of the fuel system consists of only about 60 oil refineries. The concentration of production makes them ideal targets. The experience of the war in Ukraine shows that drone strikes on energy infrastructure have become routine: Russia has already lost about 15% of its oil refining capacity precisely due to such attacks.

The Concept of "Energy Islands"

To solve the problem of dependence and vulnerability, representatives of the defense sector and developers of clean technologies propose creating a network of autonomous "energy islands." This involves the decentralized production of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) based on green hydrogen.

The idea is to use renewable energy sources — wind and sun. The main advantage of these resources is their ubiquity and "indifference" to the political situation: they are always available, regardless of whether there is war or peace.

The scheme proposed by Rheinmetall and Sunfire companies involves the construction of hundreds of small modular plants. Unlike giant refineries that produce 100,000 tons of fuel per year and require massive energy consumption (about 200 wind turbines), a modular plant is designed for 5,000 tons and can be powered by just ten wind generators.

Thanks to their small size and independence from external supplies, these stations are much more difficult to destroy with mass attacks, and if necessary, troops will always be within a 50-100 km radius of a refueling source.

The Cost of Security and the Question of Time

The technologies for implementing this plan already exist and have been tested. For example, projects for the production of synthetic gas and hydrogen with capacities of hundreds of megawatts are already being launched in Spain. However, the main obstacle remains the cost.

A liter of synthetic fuel currently costs 4-5 euros. When production scales up, the price can be reduced to 1-2 euros, but this requires an initial impetus and state support. The market itself will not start buying expensive fuel when cheaper alternatives exist, even if national security is at stake.

To ensure Europe's defense capability, a production capacity of at least 20 million tons of synthetic fuel per year is needed. For Germany alone, this means installing electrolyzers with a total capacity of 7-8 gigawatts.

The estimated cost of creating such a network for all of Europe is about 400 billion euros (for Germany — 30-50 billion). This is a huge amount of money, but experts compare it to other expenses: for example, 30 billion euros are planned to be allocated for the construction of bomb shelters in Germany alone. A logical question: why do people need shelters if they will sit there in the cold and dark due to a lack of fuel?

Little time remains for deliberation. According to NATO estimates, Putin's regime could restore its offensive potential within five years. This is precisely how much time Europe needs to build the proposed network of energy islands if action is taken immediately.

The transition to synthetic fuels is seen not only as an ecological project but also as a way to get rid of a dual dependence: first on Russian energy carriers, and now on American liquefied natural gas, whose prices are prone to volatility, and supplies depend on political relations.

Thus, the "green transition" is transforming from a climate issue into a question of survival. The ability to "hold out" is also a military characteristic, and an autonomous energy system can become a decisive factor in future conflicts.

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