Two of industrial gases firm Air Liquide’s electrolyser projects have taken a major step towards FID following a decision by the Dutch state to offer them support through the EU’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) Hy2Use programme.

The Elygator and Curthyl developments will each have 200MW of electrolyser capacity and produce a total of around 30,000t/yr green hydrogen.

Elygator will be located in Terneuzen and Curthyl at the Maasvlakte 2 ‘conversion park’ in Rotterdam.

The green hydrogen will be integrated into Air Liquide’s existing portfolio of assets, displacing existing grey hydrogen supply and cutting emissions by some 5mn t CO₂ over the period of operation.

200MW — Size of electrolysers

“Air Liquide is very pleased with the Dutch authorities’ recognition of the uniqueness of its two renewable hydrogen flagship projects in the Netherlands,” says Pascal Vinet, senior vice-president at the company.

“The group remains more than ever committed to making low-carbon hydrogen a driving force of the energy transition.”

The financial value of the support was not disclosed.

Air Liquide will invest €8bn ($8.8bn) in the hydrogen value chain by 2035, according to its latest strategy document. As a result of these investments, the firm estimates it will see sales in hydrogen rise from current levels of €2bn/yr to €6bn/yr by 2035.

Air Liquide is involved at different points in the hydrogen supply chain including production, storage and distribution. The group is also committed to decarbonising its own operations, aiming to reduce its scope one and two emissions by 33pc by 2035 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

State aid compliance

Under EU state aid rules, member countries cannot distort competition by providing state aid to domestic industry unless that aid is judged to be beneficial to other member states as well.

The IPCEI programme was designed to allow projects that construct large-scale infrastructure of importance to all EU member states to be compliant with these state aid rules.

The Hy2Use scheme was jointly prepared by 13 member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

It contains 19 further projects around the EU, in addition to Air Liquide’s two Dutch projects.

IPCEI Hy2Use follows and complements the first IPCEI on the hydrogen value chain, the IPCEI Hy2Tech, which the Commission approved in July and which contains 14 industrial technology projects.

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Author: Tom Young