Air Liquide and Siemens Energy inaugurate electrolyser factory

Located in Berlin, the new manufacturing site inaugurated spans over 2000 m². It leverages automation and robotics for the series production of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser modules, the main component of the electrolyser. The PEM modules offer a high degree of efficiency and are particularly adapted to an intermittent renewable energy supply. With one gigawatt currently, Air Liquide and Siemens Energy expect a ramp-up to annual production capacity of three gigawatts by 2025. Once produced, the assembly of the modules to be implemented in electrolyser projects can be carried closer to the project sites, contributing further to the cost effectiveness of the solution.

The strategic partnership benefits from a portfolio of hydrogen projects combining both Air Liquide and Siemens Energy’s pipelines, targeting large industrial-scale projects worldwide in collaboration with customers. In Europe, a number of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen projects are already under development. In Oberhausen, Germany, the Air Liquide’s Trailblazer 20 MW large-scale electrolyser project is reaching completion and aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Rhine-Ruhr industrial basin. Near Port-Jérôme, France, the Air Liquide Normand’Hy 200 MW electrolyser project is the largest PEM electrolyser under construction, avoiding the emission of 250 000 tpy of CO₂. Both groups are working on several other large-scale electrolyser projects, such as Siemens Energy’s ones in Kassø, Denmark, and FlagshipONE, Sweden, which will provide hydrogen for the synthesis of efuels for shipping.

This partnership will benefit from the expertise of both Groups, including Siemens Energy technology and industrial capacity along with Air Liquide’s mastery of hydrogen along the whole value-chain and capacity to develop innovative custom-made solutions. Both Groups will also continue to dedicate R&D capacities to the co-development of the next generations of electrolyser technologies.

François Jackow, CEO of Air Liquide Group, said: “The mass production of industrial scale electrolysers is essential to making competitive renewable hydrogen a reality. Our JV with Siemens Energy brings the best of our respective expertises together and allows us to offer the most-suited products to the market. This technology will soon be operated at the trailblazer electrolyser in Oberhausen, with a major scale up coming for the Normand'Hy electrolyser project. More than ever, hydrogen is proving to be a key element of the transition to a low-carbon society.”

Christian Bruch, President and CEO, Siemens Energy, commented: "There is no energy transition without green molecules. With today's opening and the start of gigawatt-scale production of electrolysers, we are launching the next step for the commercialisation of this vital technology. Now we need to agree on a viable business model with a balanced risk and reward profile to turn the smallest molecule into a big success story."

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/09112023/air-liquide-and-siemens-energy-inaugurate-electrolyser-factory/