The installation is located in the NextGen zone of the port of Antwerp-Bruges, on the former Opel site. It consists of two “AEM stacks”, which are anion-exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers, each rated at 250 kilowatts. According to P2H2, this is the first commercial application of AEM stacks of this scale. The hydrogen produced will initially be distributed to the gas supplier Holthausen and other regional clients, primarily for mobility purposes. Industrial uses are also conceivable.
The AEM technology aims to enable the production of green hydrogen at a lower cost. The installation allows for rapid adjustment of production based on electricity prices, for example, by producing more hydrogen when cheap renewable electricity is available, according to P2H2. The system can operate from 10 to 100 per cent of its capacity.
P2H2 intends to use data from the Antwerp facility to develop the technology towards systems of several megawatts. A second 500-kilowatt infrastructure will be delivered later this year to the Norwegian research institute Sintef. The American company also plans to scale up this technology at Antwerp.
The project was supported with nearly 900,000 euros by the European Union and Flanders through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The P2H2 installation is more modest than the recently abandoned project by American company Plug Power to build a 100-megawatt unit in Antwerp. This plan was abandoned due to doubts about its economic viability. P2H2 has chosen a different electrolysis technology using AEM and has begun on a smaller scale to demonstrate its commercial feasibility and potential for further expansion.
The initial translation of this content was generated by AI. All facts, context, and language have subsequently been verified and validated by a human editorial team.
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