Shell (The Hague, the Netherlands) announced that Europe’s largest PEM hydrogen electrolysis plant for the production of green hydrogen, REFHYNE, has started operations in Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Wesseling, Germany.
The 10 MW plant, funded by the EU Fuels Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), will produce up to 1,300 tons of green hydrogen per year. Shell is already planning to build a 100 MW electrolysis plant, REFHYNE II. Construction is anticipated to start as soon as 2022.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) said at the opening event in Wesseling in front of around 100 guests from business and politics: “North Rhine-Westphalia is a state of hydrogen. With the commissioning of the largest electrolysis plant in Europe, we are further expanding our leading role in this area. This is how we lay the foundation for a modern and green industry with highly qualified jobs. Even today, 30 percent of German hydrogen demand comes from industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. Estimates assume that demand will double by 2030. That is why we need innovative solutions that contribute to a CO2-neutral coverage of the hydrogen demand. Projects like REFHYNE show how ecology and economy can be reconciled with innovations. “
“We want to become the leading provider of green hydrogen for industrial and transport customers in Germany. We keep an eye on the entire value chain; from the entry into electricity production with offshore wind to the expansion of capacity for hydrogen production to sales across all sectors. We want to stand by our customers as a reliable partner and help them to reduce their carbon footprint, ”said Huibert Vigeveno, board member of Royal Dutch Shell.
In the Rhineland site, more sustainable chemical and energy products will then involve less crude oil, but instead hydrogen, circular waste materials and biomass. For this purpose, old systems are to be dismantled, new ones created and existing ones converted or rededicated. In addition to the 100 MW REFHYNE II electrolysis, a bio-PTL plant is planned in which synthetic aviation fuels and petroleum are to be produced from green electricity and biomass. Synthetic fuels are seen as a beacon of hope for significantly reducing CO2 emissions, especially in aviation. Both projects are at an advanced planning stage, but a final investment decision is still pending. In contrast, the construction order has already been placed for a plant for the production of bio-LNG for heavy goods vehicles.