(Berlin) - Siemens Energy and Air Liquide SA announced theirs in Berlin last year Fabrik for fuel cell stacks inaugurated. Siemens Energy reportedly holds 74,9 percent of the joint venture.
The annual production capacity starts with one gigawatt, and by 2025 it should be “at least three gigawatts”. This could produce an average of 300.000 tons of green hydrogen per year. With the new production, Siemens Energy says it can build electrolyzers in series for the first time.
The components produced in Berlin are further processed into finished electrolyzers at other Siemens locations. © Siemens Energy
The advantage of the location in the Moabit district of Berlin is that the entire infrastructure of existing halls can be used. Gas turbines are currently being built there.
New production lines were built on 2.000 square meters at a cost of around 30 million euros to produce stacks based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology. Compared to other hydrogen technologies, PEM electrolysers made it possible to bring gigawatt capacities to the market with lower material, personnel and space requirements.
Electrolyzers are assembled in Mühlheim
The membranes produced in Moabit are processed into cells. A stack is made from fifty cells; Siemens needs 24 such stacks for an electrolyzer. The stacks are assembled into finished electrolyzers at the Siemens Energy site in Mülheim an der Ruhr or with partners near the project locations.
One of the first projects to be supplied from the new production facility is the “Normand'Hy” joint venture, which is currently being built near Port-Jérôme, east of Le Havre, in France. The manufacturer of industrial gases has ordered twelve electrolyzers with a total capacity of 200 megawatts from Siemens. Siemens Energy is also working on several other large electrolyzer projects, such as in Kassø in Denmark or on the FlagshipONE project in Sweden.
The factory was put into operation in the presence of high-ranking representatives of German and French politics, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and French Industry Minister Roland Lescure. The Federal Ministry for Research and Development financially supported the research work on the production facility in Berlin with an undisclosed sum.
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Siemens Energy and Air Liquide have opened stack production in Berlin. © Siemens Energy
