(Porsgrunn / Norway) – The Norwegian supplier of alkaline high-pressure electrolyzers Hydrogen Pro AS is building a new factory in Texas / USA. According to the information, the planned 500 megawatt factory will increase the company's capacity to a total of 800 megawatts.
Managing director Tarjei Johansen estimates the investments at 50 million dollars (46 million euros). This includes the costs for a separate production facility for “advanced electrodes”. The technology is being developed in the company's research department in Denmark. There, Hydrogen Pro took over the company Advanced Surface Plating (ASP) in December 2020 and with it a patent that is intended to increase the efficiency of alkaline electrolyzers by 14 percent through lower power consumption.
US market is developing rapidly
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed by the US Congress in August 2022, is starting to have an impact, says Johansen, and the USA has thus become “the market leader for green hydrogen”. The favorable tax regime for manufacturers has led to a surge in demand.
The market has been served by Hydrogen Pro's European sales team for some time, which has resulted in "a significant number of relevant and attractive projects". “We are seeing an unprecedented increase in demand for green hydrogen following the IRA,” said the managing director. As a result, establishing a manufacturing facility for the North American market is “a natural next step in our global expansion plan and a very exciting opportunity for our company.” The initial capacity in Texas can be increased “significantly to several gigawatts in due course.”
Alkaline electrolysis (AEL) reached market maturity in the middle of the last century, making it the oldest industrially used technology for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Photos
Hydrogen Pro expands its high-pressure alkaline electrolyzer production capacity in the United States to 500 megawatts. © Hydrogen Pro / Tom Riis
