Hydrogen EU relies on thyssenkrupp nucera for green hydrogen

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The EU has awarded thyssenkrupp nucera's forward-looking SOEC project for the production of green hydrogen. The funding amount for the construction of a 300-megawatt production facility can reach up to 36 million euros.

The funding from the EU Innovation Fund is intended to enable thyssenkrupp nucera to further advance the industrialization of the high-efficiency SOEC technology licensed from Fraunhofer IKTS with the SOEC production facility to be built. In a further step, the details will be clarified with the EU. The EU Innovation Fund supports particularly climate-friendly projects in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energies, as well as research and innovation.

With its decision to fund the construction of the SOEC production facility, the EU is sending an important signal. High-temperature electrolysis technology, thanks to its high efficiency and significant cost-effectiveness, is a forward-looking electrolysis technology for the production of green hydrogen. It will enable companies to make a significant contribution to decarbonization in the near future.

Dr. Werner Ponikwar, CEO thyssenkrupp nucera

Before the launch of the 300 megawatt SOEC production facility, a pilot plant with 8 megawatts of installed capacity is scheduled to commence operations in the first half of 2025. In Arnstadt, Thuringia (Germany), the electrolysis stacks, as the most critical core component of the high-temperature electrolysis plant, will initially be produced in small quantities. "The scaling up of the SOEC stacks' production will enable thyssenkrupp nucera to achieve technology and market leadership in the pioneering SOEC technology," says Professor Dr. Alexander Michaelis, Director of the Fraunhofer IKTS.

The SOEC stack technology is based on oxygen-ion-conducting ceramic solid electrolytes, which are screen-printed with two electrodes and then connected with chromium-based interconnectors. This chromium-based alloy is especially suitable for very high temperatures. Continued cooperation in research and development is essential for further industrialization of the SOEC technology.

thyssenkrupp nucera and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS signed a strategic partnership in March this year. Since then, they have been working together to advance the highly innovative high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) to market readiness. In more than 20 years of extensive research and development work, the renowned Fraunhofer IKTS has laid the foundations for SOEC technology and thus carried out the necessary preliminary work with regard to the industrialization of this electrolysis technology. thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS are now jointly working on the further steps towards industrial application of high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC).

The SOEC technology offers companies very high energy efficiency. Industries with production processes that generate industrial waste heat, such as the steel industry, can particularly benefit from this. Using this waste heat in high-temperature electrolysis significantly reduces electricity consumption, making this electrolysis technology a crucial option for users in the portfolio of thyssenkrupp nucera.