Shell has started up Europe’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) green hydrogen electrolyser at its German Rhineland Refinery near Cologne.

The 10MW Refhyne electrolyser, manufactured by UK-based ITM Power, will have annual output of around 1,300t of green hydrogen and will be used initially in the production of clean fuels at Shell’s Wesseling site, replacing quantities of hydrogen produced via the steam methane reforming route. The green hydrogen will also be aimed at other industrial and transport applications.

“The next step, Refhyne II, is even bigger and would take us into the hundreds of megawatts for the first time, on our way to gigawatts deployments” Cooley, ITM Power

“Shell wants to become a leading supplier of green hydrogen for industrial and transport customers in Germany,” says Shell’s downstream director, Huibert Vigeveno. “We will be involved in the whole process — from power generation, using offshore wind, to hydrogen production and distribution across sectors. We want to be the partner of choice for our customers as we help them decarbonise.”

A second phase of the Refhyne project will aim to increase capacity to 100MW at the same site, where Shell plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel and bio-LNG.

Phase two is at an advanced planning stage, with final investment decisions still pending.

“The next step, Refhyne II, is even bigger and would take us into the hundreds of megawatts for the first time, on our way to gigawatt deployments,” says Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power. PEM technology is relatively new and starting to gain traction as it competes with more mature alkaline-based processes.

Germany’s demand for clean hydrogen is expected to double by 2030, with green hydrogen expected to be dominant as the country remains reluctant to embrace the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology  needed to make blue hydrogen following failed CCS projects in recent years. But domestic production is not expected to meet demand, leaving Germany reliant on imports.

---

Author: Stuart Penson