In a big boost for Europe’s clean energy transition, Shell has announced that it is going to build a 100-megawatt renewable hydrogen electrolyzer in Germany.
The REFHYNE II will be a renewable proton-exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyzer based at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Germany.
According to the company, the site is expected to produce up to 97,000 pounds (44,000 kg) per day of renewable hydrogen to partially decarbonize site operations.
Shell has made the final investment decision for the project, and the electrolyzer is scheduled to begin operating in 2027.
Shell’s project to make green hydrogen from electrolyzer
According to a press release from Shell, the REFHYNE II project has been enabled by supportive policies, including the European Union’s (EU) binding targets for the use of renewable hydrogen and the German Federal Government’s regulatory framework.
The project has also received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
The company says it will use renewable hydrogen produced from REFHYNE II at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park to produce energy products such as transport fuels with a lower carbon intensity.
Moreover, the green hydrogen will also help Shell Rheinland reduce emissions in the long term at the facility.
It also plans to directly supply the hydrogen produced at the site to customers in future, as and when the demand arises.
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in delivering our strategy of more value with less emission,” said Shell’s Downstream, Renewables and Energy Solutions Director Huibert Vigeveno.
“Investing in REFHYNE II is a visible demonstration of our commitment to the hydrogen economy , which will play an important role in helping to decarbonize Shell’s operations and customer products.”
Further, Shell plans to invest $10-$15 billion across 2023-2025 to support the development of low-carbon energy solutions, including e-mobility, low-carbon fuels, renewable power generation, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage.
According to Shell, it invested $5.6 billion in low-carbon solutions in 2023, which was 23% of its capital spending.
The REFHYNE-II project
Shell says that the REFHYNE II follows the success of the 10-megawatt PEM electrolyzer REFHYNE I, which started up in 2021 and uses the same technology.
The company has been working since 2021 to deliver detailed engineering plans for REFHYNE II. The work included figuring out the on-site groundwork and connecting to the existing infrastructure for streamlined input and output processes.
“Our decision to invest illustrates what can be achieved with the right enabling conditions to deliver competitive projects,” Vigeveno said.
The project will also benefit from the experience Shell and its project partners picked up from the REFHYNE I project.
It is also hopeful that once operational, the REFHYNE II project in Germany will be able to meet the requirements for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) in accordance with the European Union legislation.
Apart from this mega project, Shell is also constructing the Holland Hydrogen I project in the Netherlands, which is designed to have a capacity of 200 megawatts. According to the company, this is going to be one of Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plants under construction.
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