The world’s largest green-hydrogen plant has been inaugurated in Quebec, Canada, by industrial gases giant Air Liquide.
Despite the gigawatt-scale ambitions of many green-hydrogen developers, the industry is still in its infancy — the record-breaking electrolyser in the city of Bécancour is just 20MW in size.
The four-module PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyser, supplied by US-based Cummins, beats the previous record holder, a 10MW solar-powered project in Fukushima, Japan, that was opened in March last year.
The Bécancour facility, which is powered by local hydroelectricity, is now producing up to 8.2 tonnes of green H2 per day — close to 3,000 tonnes annually.
“Bécancour's proximity to the main industrial markets in Canada and the United States will help ensure their supply of low-carbon hydrogen for industrial use and mobility,” said Air Liquide in a statement.
The four 5MW HyLYZER 1000-30 units, installed inside an existing building, were developed by Canadian company Hydrogenics, which was acquired by Cummins in September 2019.
“We have successfully developed our technology from 1MW to 5MW, and now have the largest PEM electrolyser in operation in the world,” said Amy Davis, president of Cummins’ New Power business unit. “It will continue to take enterprises, governments, forward-thinking customers and utilities all working together to make alternative power a reality.
"Here we are seeing how green hydrogen can improve sustainability for industrial manufacturing and how the demand for decarbonised hydrogen solutions will grow.”
