(Rotterdam / Netherlands) – US industrial gas manufacturer Air Liquide Inc. has made the final investment decision for the construction of the “ELYgator” project on the Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam. The 200-megawatt plant, with an annual production capacity of 23.000 tons of hydrogen, will utilize both proton exchange membrane (PEM) and alkaline electrolysis (AEL) technology.
Funding from the EU and the Netherlands
The project is supported by the Netherlands' OWE program and the EU Innovation Fund, and is also a Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), the company said. The funding was a key decision-making criterion, according to the company. The total amount of the grants was not disclosed. Air Liquide announced €500 million in investments at Maasvlakte in February of this year.
The hydrogen will be made available to the energy group Total Energies SA under a long-term purchase agreement, which, according to Air Liquide, will supply, among other things, industrial customers and heavy-duty transport. Total Energies itself announced in February that it had secured 130 megawatts of its total capacity with "ELYgator." This corresponds to the equivalent of 15.000 tons of green hydrogen per year, which will be used to decarbonize its refinery in Antwerp.
The plant on the Maasvlakte is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2027. According to the port authority, the selected site has sufficient space for four such large-scale electrolyzers. Air Liquide's plant will be the second to be built there. The electricity will come from offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
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Air Liquide makes the final investment decision for a 200-megawatt large-scale electrolysis plant at the Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam. © Air Liquide
