A consortium, which includes Engie, has launched a project to build and operate a high-temperature electrolyser for hydrogen production.
Engie and its partners, Neste, Paul Wurth, Sunfire and French research agency CEA, launched the “Multi-megawatt high-temperature electrolyser to generate green hydrogen for the production of high-quality biofuels” (Multiplhy) project at Neste’s renewable products refinery in Rotterdam.
The CEA-led consortium is part of the EU Horizon 2020 FCH2-JU programme with an overall funding of €6.9m.
Multiplhy will involve the demonstration of a high temperature electrolyser in an industrial refining process.
The electrolyser will have a nominal power input of 2.6MW and a hydrogen production capacity of 60 kg per hour, with a high level of electrical efficiency.
“This project shows the great progress being made in bringing our green hydrogen production technologies to the next level and paving the readiness for a further scale up to 100MW” said Sunfire managing director Nils Aldag.
Neste senior vice president Lars Peter Lindfors said: “Neste is a global forerunner in renewable fuels with the ambition to become a global leader in renewable and circular solutions.
“Demonstrating green hydrogen production at our Rotterdam refinery enables us to drive the development of new sustainable technologies aiming at decreasing the carbon footprint of our customers.”
Engie hydrogen business unit chief executive Michele Azalbert added: “Engie is delighted to be part of Multiplhy to decarbonize Neste’s bio refinery. This is the world’s first multi-megawatt high-temperature electrolysis project to produce hydrogen.
“We will contribute our expertise and increase our knowledge to extend Engie’s renewable hydrogen-based solutions, and enable our customers’ zero-carbon journey.”
By the end of 2024, the electrolyser is expected to have produced up to 960 tonnes of green hydrogen while avoiding approximately 8000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
The project supports the carbon direct avoidance approach by substituting grey hydrogen currently generated via steam-methane reforming with certified green hydrogen.