Renewable hydrogen:a gigafactory of electrolyzers to scale up
Vision
A hydrogen future depends on competitive, large-scale production of low-carbon hydrogen and, therefore, a mass supply of electrolyzers: a production technology that uses electricity to separate purified water molecules (H2O) in order to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen.
Air Liquide is playing a leading role in the entirely new industrial and economic ecosystem needed to drive the future of hydrogen. We are partnering with major industrial and technology enterprises, including a joint venture with Siemens Energy. And these are not merely plans: 2023 ended with the inauguration of a world-first hydrogen gigafactory to produce large-scale PEM(1) electrolyzers.
“This gigafactory is a decisive step forward
in offering large volumes of renewable
hydrogen to the industrial and mobility
sectors. Production units equipped with PEM
electrolyzers will contribute to decarbonizing
these markets. The gigafactory also gives
Air Liquide and Siemens Energy a significant
advantage by ensuring privileged access to
crucial equipment for successfully scaling up
the production of renewable hydrogen.”
20%share of hydrogen in the world energy mix by 2050(2)
Action
On November 8, 2023, production began at the new Air Liquide Siemens Energy Joint Venture gigafactory in Berlin. The cutting-edge 2,000 m plant, highly automated with robotics, is producing electrolysis stacks that use proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology.
Initial manufacturing capacity is 1 GW per year, with ramp-up plans targeting at least 3 GW per year of output by 2025. In terms of hydrogen production capacity, this would translate into 1,200 tonnes per day more of hydrogen.
The project also builds on real-world knowledge from our operations to continuously hone and optimize the potential of mass scale electrolyzers.
This strategic joint venture will equip a portfolio of current hydrogen projects, including notably :
- Our 20 MW hydrogen production unit in Oberhausen, Germany, contributing to accelerate the decarbonization of the Rhine-Ruhr industrial basin.
- The Normand’Hy project in Port-Jérôme, France, with a capacity of 200 MW the largest PEM electrolyzer under construction, which will integrate equipment produced in the framework of the joint venture. It will avoid the emission of 250,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
- In the Netherlands, two other large-scale electrolyzer facilities will provide low-carbon hydrogen to various industrial and mobility market customers. With individual capacities of 200 MW, these projects are set to collectively produce approximately 30,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen annually, without generating CO2 emissions.
(1) Proton Exchange Membrane.
(2) Hydrogen Council.