TotalEnergies, Air Liquide Developing 250-MW Electrolyzer for EU Hydrogen
French companies TotalEnergies and industrial gas supplier Air Liquide have signed agreements to develop two projects producing and delivering industrial levels of green hydrogen in the Netherlands.
The collaboration will aim to produce about 45,000 metric tons a year of green hydrogen, using renewable power generated by the OranjeWind offshore wind farm. Green hydrogen is H2 split from water by electrolyzers powered by carbon-free energy generation.
The wind farm which will power the electrolyzers is a 50-50 partnership developed by TotalEnergies and RWE. The projects will reduce CO2 emissions from TotalEnergies’ refineries in Belgium and the Netherlands by up to 450,000 tons a year and contribute to the European renewable energy targets in transport.
The two companies have signed an agreement to form a joint venture, equally held by TotalEnergies and Air Liquide, to build and operate a 250-MW electrolyzer near the Zeeland refinery. The project will help produce up to 30,000 tons of green hydrogen a year.
The electrolyzer will be commissioned in 2029 and will cut the site’s CO2 emissions by up to 300,000 tons a year. The project represents a global investment of around $627.02 million for both partners and has made requests for support under European and national subsidy programs. Project funding will also be sought by the partners.
“These two projects will complete the five Air Liquide low carbon units already in operation or construction in Europe,” Emilie Mouren-Renouard, member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee, in charge of Europe operations, said in a statement. “This illustrates our capacity to offer concrete solutions to our customers, to reach our carbon neutrality ambition by 2050, to support Europe’s leadership ambition towards decarbonized growth and demonstrate the ability of Air Liquide to develop solid business models in the energy field of low carbon hydrogen.”
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Moreover, as part of Air Liquide's 200-MW ELYgator electrolyzer project located in Maasvlakte, TotalEnergies has also signed a tolling agreement for 130 MW for production of 15,000 tons per year of green hydrogen for the TotalEnergies platform in Antwerp, Belgium. Under this agreement, TotalEnergies will supply the renewable electrons produced by the OranjeWind project to Air Liquide to be transformed into green hydrogen.
The Antwerp project is expected to be operational by the end of 2027 and will reduce CO2 emissions at the Antwerp site by up to 150,000 tons per year.
TotalEnergies says its work on low-carbon hydrogen at its European refineries may reduce its annual CO2 emissions by around three million tons by 2030. The company has contracted over 170,000 tons of green hydrogen annually at La Mède, Grandpuits and Normandy in France, Leuna in Germany and its refineries in Belgium and the Netherlands to fully decarbonize the hydrogen used in its European refineries.
Hydrogen is a light, energy-dense gas which contains no carbon in its molecular chain. It is not easily mined so, for industrial purposes, must be produced by separating the H2 from methane gas through steam reforming or from water through electrolyzers.
