Air Liquide Canada is investing in construction of the world’s largest proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer with a 20-MW capacity for producing carbon-free hydrogen. The industrial gases supplier tapped Mississauga, Ontario-based Hydrogenics Corporation to design, build, and install the new hydrogen electrolysis system.
Using Hydrogenics technology, Air Liquide Canada expects the electrolyzer to increase the current capacity of their hydrogen facility in Bécancour, Québec by 50%.
“This new production unit will significantly reduce carbon intensity compared to the traditional hydrogen production process,” according to Air Liquide Canada. The company anticipates that this system will prevent the release of nearly 27,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Hydrogenics says that the facility should be in commercial operation by the end of 2020, and have an output of just under 3,000 tons of hydrogen annually. The Bécancour facility’s proximity to major industrial markets in Canada and the United States should help ensure North America’s supply of low-carbon hydrogen for industry and mobility usage, says Air Liquide Canada.
“This investment will help further contribute towards carbon-free hydrogen supply for Air Liquide industrial and mobility markets in North America, and complement the recently announced hydrogen investment for the energy markets in the western US,” said Michael J. Graff, EVP and executive committee member of Air Liquide, and chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
Currently Hydrogenics has more than 500 active electrolyzers in operation globally. The company was first-to-market with scalable PEM electrolysis, Hydrogenics’ president and CEO Daryl Wilson noted.
The hydrogen supply chain has long been a major focus for Air Liquide. The company reports having designed and installed more than 120 filling stations around the world to date.
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