Chemicals company Nouryon, gas transport specialist Gasunie and four other partners have secured an €11m grant from the EU for their proposed green hydrogen project. The 20MW electrolyser, to be built in Delfzijl, the Netherlands aims to cut carbon emissions.
The funding comes from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU), a public-private partnership supporting the research and development of innovative hydrogen technologies.
FCH-JU executive director Bart Biebuyck said: “The FCH-JU supports the development of high-performance electrolysers by European industry that can operate dynamically on renewable energy, helping to balance the electricity grid. Scaling-up in this field is key for sustainable industry, transport, and buildings and this project is a firm step in moving towards electrolysis of hundreds of megawatts or even gigawatts.”
The other project partners are electrode manufacturer DeNora, sustainable energy consultancy Hinicio, hydrogen production and distribution equipment supplier McPhy, and methanol producer BioMCN. McPhy will provide its alkaline electrolysis technology to convert water into green hydrogen using electricity and BioMCN will combine the hydrogen with CO2 to produce renewable methanol. This process will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 27,000 tonnes per year.
Gasunie executive board member Ulco Vermeulen said: “Scaling up is the keyword here. From our 1mw electrolysis project Hystock, via this 20MW electrolysis installation in Delfzijl, towards gigawatts in 2030. Gas infrastructure will play a facilitating role in the energy transition as we will be transporting energy carriers, such as hydrogen, increasingly through our pipelines.”
According to Nouryon, the 20MW electrolyser will be the first of its kind to be implemented in Europe on this scale.
Nouryon president of industrial chemicals Knut Schwalenberg said: “This project will be a stepping-stone for the circular economy. With the support of the EU and the region, and backed by an experienced technology supplier and customer agreements, we are ready to move to the next phase of implementing Europe’s first large-scale hydrogen plant in support of a more sustainable future.”
McPhy chief executive Laurent Carme said: “We are proud of the trust we received from two such major industrial groups. The size and scope of this project, as well as its deep integration into our customers’ processes, represent a major step-change for McPhy and the global hydrogen market. This will boost the rise of a clean, secure and cost-competitive hydrogen ecosystem.”