[ industry update ]
Asahi Kasei starts operation of green hydrogen pilot plant in Kawasaki Asahi Kasei has officially opened a green hydrogen pilot plant in Kawasaki , Japan . The Japanese technology company is currently developing the Aqualyzer™ alkaline water electrolyzer , optimized for the production of green hydrogen . In order to test this new system under realistic conditions in a multi-module setup , Asahi Kasei started constructing a pilot plant at its manufacturing site in Kawasaki in November 2022 . The facility started operation in March 2024 .
In the pilot plant , four 0.8 MW Aqualyzer™ modules are being operated under realistic conditions , including maintenance periods and low power supply at night . The equipment is also designed to simulate fluctuating power input from solar or wind sources . By utilizing data from these trials , Asahi Kasei will further optimize the design , operation methods , and control technology of the electrolysis system . With its multi-module approach , the company aims to combine up to ten modules with a capacity of 10 MW each , enabling commercial largescale electrolysis systems with a capacity of up to 100 MW .
Aiming for a total sales volume of ¥ 100 billion (€ 600 million ) by 2030 , Asahi Kasei plans to start commercial activities for its alkaline water electrolyzers in 2025 .
TE H2 partners with VERBUND on large green hydrogen project in Tunisia TE H2 , a joint-venture between TotalEnergies and EREN Groupe , together with VERBUND , Austria ’ s leading electricity company , have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Tunisia to study the implementation of a large green hydrogen project named ‘ H2 Notos ’ for export to Central Europe through pipelines .
H2 Notos aims to produce green hydrogen using electrolysers powered by large onshore wind and solar projects and supplied with desalinated sea water . The project aims to produce 200,000 tons of green hydrogen annually during its initial phase , with the potential to scale up production to one million tons per year in South Tunisia . The project will have access to the European market through the ‘ SoutH2 Corridor ’, a hydrogen pipeline project connecting North Africa to Italy , Austria , and Germany , which is expected to be commissioned around 2030 .
TE H2 , together with VERBUND , will be leading the development , financing , construction , and operation of the integrated project from production of green electricity to production of green hydrogen . In addition , VERBUND will coordinate the transport of the produced hydrogen towards Central Europe .
Nel signs licensing agreement with Reliance Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser ASA , a wholly owned subsidiary of Nel ASA , has entered into a technology licensing agreement with Reliance Industries Limited ( RIL ), India ’ s largest private-sector corporation . The agreement provides RIL with an exclusive license for Nel ’ s alkaline electrolysers in India and allows RIL to manufacture Nel ’ s alkaline electrolysers for captive purposes globally .
Through this agreement , Reliance acquires access to Nel ’ s technology platform for manufacturing electrolysers . Both partners will also collaborate on future performance improvements and cost optimization through research and development , value engineering , standardization and modularization to improve the competitiveness of the alkaline technology platform .
According to the agreement , Nel can procure equipment from Reliance for its own projects . Nel will continue to serve the Indian market with technology platforms that are not covered by the agreement .
Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 16 | June 2024 7