Air Liquide and Siemens Energy officially inaugurated their joint venture gigawatt electrolyser factory in Berlin. The mass production of electrolyser components will allow the manufacturing of low-carbon hydrogen at industrial scale and competitive cost, and foster an innovative European ecosystem. The state-of-the-art gigawatt factory will ramp-up to an annual production capacity of 3 GW by 2025. With two global leading companies in their field combining their expertises, this Franco-German partnership plays a pivotal role in the emergence of a sustainable hydrogen economy needed to forge the energy transition.
Located in Berlin, the new manufacturing site inaugurated today 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 1 GW currently, Air Liquide and Siemens Energy expect a ramp-up to annual production capacity of 3 GW 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 mass production of industrial scale electrolysers is essential to making competitive renewable hydrogen a reality. Our joint-venture with Siemens Energy brings the best of our respective expertises together and allows us to offer the most-suited products to the market. This state-of-the art technology will soon be operated at the Trailblazer electrolyser in Oberhausen, with a major scale up coming for the Normand‘Hy electrolyser project”, François Jackow, CEO of Air Liquide Group says. Christian Bruch, President and CEO Siemens Energy is adding: “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.”
More hydrogen projects
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 t/a of CO2. Both groups are working on several other large-scale electrolyser projects, such as Siemens Energy’s ones in Kassø (Denmark) or 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 state-of-the-art 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.
