Green Hydrogen: thyssenkrupp Expands Production Capacities For Water Electrolysis On A Gigawatt Scale

• Highly automated, European manufacturing enables the production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale
• Thyssenkrupp's portfolio covers entire value chains for green chemicals, from water electrolysis to the sustainable production of ammonia, methanol, synthetic natural gas and fertilizers

Green hydrogen is gaining in importance as an energy source and CO₂ -free raw material for the chemical industry worldwide. The demand for industrial electrolysis plants that enable economical production is increasing accordingly. thyssenkrupp has now significantly expanded its production capacities for electrolysis plants for the production of green hydrogen: From now on, the company can produce electrolysis cells with a total output of up to one gigawatt annually, together with its strategic supplier and joint venture partner De Nora. In the future, capacities are to be continuously expanded.

“Many countries around the world are currently planning to enter the hydrogen economy. Water electrolysis is emerging ever more clearly as a key technology for building a sustainable, flexible energy system and a carbon-free industry. This opens up new markets for us, ”says Sami Pelkonen, CEO of the Chemical & Process Technologies business unit at thyssenkrupp.

Green hydrogen, generated from renewable electricity using electrolysis, is essential for a successful energy transition and achieving international climate goals. Hydrogen not only serves as a clean energy source and fuel, but also as a CO₂ -neutral raw material for the production of green chemicals. As a specialist in the planning and construction of chemical plants, thyssenkrupp can already implement complete value chains, starting with the large-scale production of hydrogen through to the subsequent production of sustainable basic chemicals such as ammonia or methanol. This makes it possible to do without fossil raw materials in corresponding industrial processes and to reduce CO 2 emissions directly at the source.

“In particular, the energy and resource-intensive industries, such as fuel, chemical or steel production, only green hydrogen opens the way to climate neutrality. This requires water electrolysis on a gigawatt scale. We can already supply the corresponding technologies and systems and will continue to expand our production capacities as the number of hydrogen projects increases, ”says Christoph Noeres, Head of the Energy Storage and Hydrogen division. “But it is also clear that it will not work without a changed regulatory framework and fair market opportunities for green hydrogen. In addition to the further expansion of renewable energies, there is in particular the adjustment of the tax and contribution system and the deduction of CO 2-reducing effects of green hydrogen in the target markets. "

Modular system concept for high flexibility and easy installation
In order to make the construction of new hydrogen plants as simple, cost-efficient and flexible as possible, thyssenkrupp offers its electrolysers in prefabricated standard modules. One module produces up to 4,000 cubic meters of hydrogen per hour. The modules can be easily transported, installed and interconnected to various plant sizes up to several hundred megawatts or gigawatts. Due to their high speed of reaction, the systems can be operated flexibly; for the production of green hydrogen for industrial power-to-x applications as well as for grid stabilization.

The patented design of the electrolytic cells, which are equipped with anodic and cathodic coatings developed by De Nora, enables high system efficiencies of up to 80 percent. It is based on proven and world-leading electrolysis technologies from thyssenkrupp. The company has already successfully implemented more than 600 projects and electrochemical plants with a total output of over 10 gigawatts worldwide.