Thyssenkrupp & Fraunhofer IKTS: First SOEC pilot production plant in Germany

Green Hydrogen Thyssenkrupp and Fraunhofer Launch Pilot Plant for Electrolysis Stacks

2025-05-28 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS open the first SOEC pilot production plant for stacks for producing green hydrogen in Germany.

In Germany, something groundbreaking is now happening in the field of green hydrogen (illustrative image). Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS have opened a pilot plant that manufactures stacks for an alternative and more efficient method of electrolysis.(Image: © AA+W - stock.adobe.com) — In Germany, something groundbreaking is now happening in the field of green hydrogen (illustrative image). Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS have opened a pilot plant that manufactures stacks for an alternative and more efficient method of electrolysis.
(Image: © AA+W - stock.adobe.com)

In Germany, the first SOEC pilot production plant for electrolysis stacks has now been opened with high-ranking representatives from science, politics, and industry. With the commissioning of the pilot production plant, the strategic partnership between the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) and Thyssenkrupp Nucera enters the next phase to bring the development of SOEC electrolysis (SOEC = solid oxide electrolyzer cell) to market maturity. The process is also called high-temperature electrolysis because the typical temperatures it operates at range from 500 to 850 °C (approx. 932 to 1562 °F). Building on the development work of the IKTS in recent years, the SOEC technology for the production of stacks for the large-scale industrial production of green hydrogen is now being advanced. The SOEC stack technology is based on an oxygen-conducting ceramic electrolyte substrate with two electrodes, which, together with coupling elements, the chromium-iron interconnectors, are assembled into a stack on several layers.

Companies can Produce Green Hydrogen

The system is more resistant to corrosion and changing temperature stresses, according to researchers. Additionally, the number of necessary components is lower than in typical systems. The plant initially produces stacks in small quantities and has a targeted production capacity of about eight megawatts per year. The aim is to enable competitive costs for the high-temperature electrolyzer through future large-scale and highly automated mass production. With this type of electrolysis, companies can efficiently produce green hydrogen in the future. SOEC electrolysis ensures a high efficiency because less electrical energy is required to split water (steam) at high process temperatures. When commercial high-temperature electrolysis is used in processes with large amounts of waste heat — such as in the steel industry — electricity consumption can be reduced by 20 to 30 percent compared to other technologies.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.