Air Liquide has inaugurated an electrolyzer with a capacity of 20 MW in Oberhausen. The "Trailblazer" is connected to Air Liquide's hydrogen pipeline and is intended to supply green hydrogen to industrial and transport companies in the Rhineland and Ruhr area. According to the company, it is the largest electrolyzer facility connected to an existing network in Germany to date.
The PEM electrolyzer has a production capacity of up to 2,900 tons of hydrogen per year, Air Liquide announced on Monday (August 26). Potential customers include the chemical industry, regional refineries, and the mobility sector. The electrolyzer stacks were produced in collaboration with Siemens Energy.
The location in the OQ Chemicals chemical park in Oberhausen facilitates the supply of large customers, particularly due to its connection to Air Liquide's H2 pipeline, which is more than 220 km long. Gilles Le Van, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Air Liquide Germany, emphasized that the inauguration marks a "milestone in the industrial transformation in the heart of the Ruhr area":
"Important Signal for the Industrial Location"
Minister-President Hendrik Wüst concurred. Hydrogen is a "key to a climate-neutral future, especially for energy-intensive industries such as steel and chemicals in North Rhine-Westphalia." He also underscored his black-green state government's ambition to make NRW "the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe."
The Trailblazer project has been funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action since the end of July 2021. In July 2023, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck visited the construction site with NRW's Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur. At that time, Air Liquide was still expecting the opening to take place at the end of 2023.
"The commissioning of the Trailblazer electrolyzer is an important signal for our industrial location and a milestone for climate protection in North Rhine-Westphalia. As the state government, we support and accompany the development of a powerful and innovative hydrogen economy with targeted measures."
