A new large-scale green hydrogen project will be equipped with a more than 2-gigawatt electrolysis plant developed by thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers.
The contract was awarded by Air Products and calls for thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers to engineer, procure and build the plant at NEOM in Saudi Arabia based on its 20-megawatt alkaline water electroloysis module. NEOM, ACWA Power and Air Products, called NEOM Green Hydrogen Company, will operate the facility. It will produce hydrogen that will be synthesized into carbon-free ammonia that will be exported by Air Products.
Plans for the facility have begun and the start of production of green hydrogen at the facility is expected to begin in 2026.
Air Products, ACWA Power and NEOM first agreed to develop a facility powered by renewable energy for green hydrogen in July 2020. Germany’s thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers will provide the technology for project.
thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers develops technology for high-efficiency electrolysis plants. The company has installed more than 600 projects with more than 10 gigawatts of capacity. The company says it hopes this project helps it ramp up its manufacturing capabilities even more.
Eectrolysis is a key component for developing green hydrogen. The reaction takes place in units called Electrolyzers, which use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and are the most common way to synthesize zero-carbon hydrogen fuel using renewable energy.
It has become so important in the increasing development of green hydrogen that a coalition of producers of the green fuel announced in November that it would increase its commitment to commission electrolyzers from 25 GW to 45 GW by 2027. The Green Hydrogen Catapult hopes that effort will also keep the cost of clean fuel down so that it can be further adapted in industry.
Other green hydrogen production methods such as combining solar energy and electrolyzers, like a project from Heliogen and Bloom Energy, have also been implemented.
The green hydrogen market is predicted to grow by as much as 57% by 2030 and is seen as an important piece of transitioning to efficient energy, especially in heavier industries like steel and transportation.
Air Products develops green hydrogen for transportation, chemicals and power generation.
