ITM Power signs contract with Shell for 100MW electrolyser

UK-headquartered electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power has signed a contract to supply electrolyser stacks for the Shell Rheinland Energy and Chemicals Park in Germany.

The contract was signed with Shell after the energy company reached final investment decision on the REFHYNE II project.

REFHYNE II will use renewable electricity to produce up to 44,000kg of renewable hydrogen daily, some of which will be fed into the existing refinery networks to decarbonise operations at Shell’s Wesseling refinery.

ITM will supply 100MW of Trident Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks and skids. Trident is ITM's commercially proven 2MW electrolyser skid based on 30bar stacks. The system has uniquely high current density and conversion efficiency, according to the company.

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Linde Engineering has been selected as the EPC integrator and will collaborate with ITM to ensure the electrolyser begins operating in 2027.

The REFHYNE II project builds on the lessons learned from the 10MW REFHYNE I plant, which was put into operation in 2021. The REFHYNE project aims to supply Clean Refinery Hydrogen for Europe and is funded by the European Commission’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership).

Dennis Schulz, CEO of ITM, said: “The performance of our latest generation electrolyser stacks in the REFHYNE I plant played an important role in Shell's proceeding to FID, as did their extensive due diligence on our technology and our capability to deliver this large-scale commercial project.”

In January 2024, Shell announced it would repurpose the Wesseling site at the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland into a production unit for Group III base oils. The decision was coupled with the plan to end crude oil processing at the site by 2025.

The high degree of electrification of the base oil plant, as well as the ceasing of crude oil processing into fuels, is expected to reduce Shell’s scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by around 620,000 tonnes a year.

Shell’s target is to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.