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Plug Power awarded three electrolyzer projects in Europe

| By Mary Bailey

Plug Power Inc. (Latham, N.Y.) announced that it has landed three five megawatt (MW) electrolyzer projects with Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, Hydro Havrand, and the APEX Group for the first-ever use of industrial-scale green hydrogen in glass manufacturing, aluminum recycling, and steel manufacturing processes. Plug is the only company offering 5MW containerized PEM electrolyzers today. The standardized turnkey system, with a production capacity of more than two tons per day, reduces site construction costs and implementation complexity.

Green Glass Manufacturing:
Located east of Gothenburg, Sweden, Ardagh Glass Limmared AB is the only glass packaging producer in the Nordics and a supplier to Sweden’s most popular spirits company. Dedicated to sustainable packaging solutions, Ardagh will produce 2.1 metric tons per day (TPD) of green hydrogen by the end of the year, replacing a portion of the natural gas used today while reducing overall carbon emissions at the plant. Ardagh will use hydroelectric power to generate hydrogen from Plug’s electrolyzer.

Aluminum Recycling:
Hydro Havrand, a new unit of aluminum giant Norsk Hydro ASA, is on a mission to decarbonize heavy industry with green hydrogen. To build a close-loop circular economy for its aluminum recycling plant in Hoyanger, Norway, Hydro will employ a 5MW Plug electrolyzer module by June 2024. The electrolyzer will displace natural gas used in the plant’s burner with 2.1 metric TPD of green hydrogen. Norsk Hydro, the mother company, has deep expertise in electrolysis dating back to the 1950s.

Green Steel Manufacturing:
In Bremen, Germany, Plug and its trusted partner APEX Group, an integrator with strong project execution expertise, will demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of producing green steel through the decarbonization of ArcelorMittal’s local blast furnaces. Plug will deliver two 5MW electrolyzer modules with a capacity to produce 4.2 metric TPD of green hydrogen to SWB, the city’s public utility company, by the end of this year. The long-term goal is full decarbonization of the steel industry in northern Germany and the rest of Europe.

By 2030, the European Union plans to produce 10 million metric tons of green hydrogen per year to decarbonize European industries and the mobility sector. The deployment of Plug’s electrolyzers will contribute to this decarbonization roadmap.

“Plug is breaking new ground with this series of industry firsts that validate our vision to scale the green hydrogen economy,” said Plug CEO Andy Marsh. “We were bold enough to design and build the industry’s first 5MW electrolyzer module, and customers are now clambering for its holistic, compact, easy-to-install features.”