thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers recently signed a supply contract with Shell for the large-scale project Hydrogen Holland I in the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Under the contract, thyssenkrupp nucera—formerly thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers—will engineer, procure and fabricate a 200 MW electrolysis plant based on their large-scale 20 MW alkaline water electrolysis module.

First construction work for the electrolyzers will likely begin in Spring 2022. Shell’s final investment decision to build the Holland Hydrogen I is expected in 2022, after which the intended start of production will be in 2024.

We are looking forward to support building a major hydrogen hub in central Europe and to contribute to Europe’s transition to green energy. With our large-scale standard module size, we will further strengthen Shell’s hydrogen strategy. Our partnership perfectly combines our engineering excellence with Shell’s competence of a large global energy player.

—Dr. Christoph Noeres, Head of Green Hydrogen at thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers

The center of the Hydrogen Holland I hydrogen project facility will be a hall covering 2 hectares—the size of three football fields. Green hydrogen will be produced for industry and the transport sector, with electricity coming from offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (Noord), by means of guarantees of origin.

The hydrogen can be transported through a pipeline with a length of about 40 kilometers that will run from the plant to Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam.

Net zero is a number one priority for the plant: Reusable construction materials will be applied wherever possible and solar panels will be incorporated in the outside walls of the plant. The factory will be open to selected visitors once fully operational.

By 2025, countries representing more than 80% of the global GDP are expected to enter the hydrogen economy with a dedicated hydrogen strategy.

With more than 600 projects, 240,000 electrolytic cell elements produced and more than 10 GW of electrolyzer capacity installed, thyssenkrupp nucera is a market leader in the chlor-alkali sector. Its experience in the chlor-alkali business stretches over five decades, providing a strong basis for the alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) technology and scale-up.

As of 31 December 2021 order backlog for green hydrogen is already around €900 million. The AWE order backlog includes the Shell project, as well as a more than two-gigawatt electrolysis plant for one of the world’s largest green hydrogen projects at NEOM in Saudi Arabia.