Shell starts up Europe’s biggest PEM electrolyser at German refinery

Second phase to raise 10MW capacity to 100MW at advanced planning stage

Shell has started up Europe’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) green hydrogen electrolyser at its German Rhineland Refinery near Cologne. The 10MW Refhyne electrolyser, manufactured by UK-based ITM Power, will have annual output of around 1,300t of green hydrogen and will be used initially in the production of clean fuels at Shell’s Wesseling site, replacing quantities of hydrogen produced via the steam methane reforming route. The green hydrogen will also be aimed at other industrial and transport applications. “The next step, Refhyne II, is even bigger and would take us into the hundreds of megawatts for the first time, on our way to gigawatts deployments” Cooley, ITM Power “