The EU has awarded Thyssenkrupp Nucera's SOEC project through the EU Innovation Fund. The EU Innovation Fund is supporting the construction of a high-temperature electrolyzer production facility at Thyssenkrupp Nucera with up to 36 million euros. The company aims to bring Fraunhofer IKTS's SOEC technology to market maturity.
The funding from the EU Innovation Fund is intended to enable Thyssenkrupp Nucera to further advance the industrialization of the SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell or high-temperature electrolysis) technology licensed from Fraunhofer IKTS. The group plans to achieve this with the production facility to be built.
According to Dr. Werner Ponikwar, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Nucera, high-temperature electrolysis technology is a forward-looking electrolysis technology for producing green hydrogen due to its high efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and could thus make an important contribution to decarbonization.
Before launching the 300 MW production facility, the company plans to commission an 8-megawatt pilot plant. The 8 MW pilot plant is scheduled to begin operations in the first half of 2025. At the Arnstadt site in Thuringia, Thyssenkrupp Nucera plans to initially produce small quantities of electrolysis stacks, the key core component of the SOEC plant.
SOEC Technology in Detail
The SOEC stack technology is based on oxygen ion-conducting ceramic solid electrolytes. These are printed with two electrodes using screen printing technology. The connection is made through chromium-based interconnectors optimized for high-temperature applications.
Thyssenkrupp Nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS have been cooperating since March 2024 on the further development of SOEC technology. Fraunhofer IKTS has established the foundations for this electrolysis technology through over 20 years of research work.
The SOEC technology enables particularly efficient hydrogen production. Industries with production processes that generate industrial waste heat, such as the steel industry, can especially benefit from this. The use of this waste heat significantly reduces electricity consumption.
