Power to Hydrogen installs first industrial-scale AEM electrolyser at Antwerp port
Power to Hydrogen has delivered and begun installing a 500-kilowatt anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyser at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, marking the first deployment of the company’s industrial-scale system and a step towards wider commercial use of the technology.
The project in Belgium uses two 250-kilowatt AEM electrolyser stacks and is expected to demonstrate renewable hydrogen production in a high-throughput industrial port environment under real operating conditions. Commissioning is planned for September.
Power to Hydrogen, based in the United States, said the installation is the first project to use AEM electrolyser stacks at the 250-kilowatt scale. The system represents the company’s first commercial deployment of its M-Class hybrid AEM electrolyser platform, which is designed to scale to projects of up to 25 megawatts.
AEM technology is being developed as an alternative to conventional proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers, with the potential to reduce reliance on expensive precious metals. Power to Hydrogen said its system uses lower-cost materials including steel and nickel and could reduce capital expenditure by up to 65% compared with comparable PEM systems.
The electrolyser is designed for flexible operation, including a response time of less than 50 milliseconds to changes in renewable power availability. Its pressurised operation is also intended to reduce the need for downstream hydrogen compression and simplify associated plant equipment.
The company said the system will provide renewable hydrogen for commercial demand in the Antwerp region, serving both industrial and mobility applications. Holthausen, a regional supplier of industrial gases and hydrogen-powered trucks, will be the key hydrogen offtaker when the system begins operation, with the platform designed to accommodate additional customers.
Rob Smeets, chief executive of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said the project would help demonstrate scalable and flexible technologies needed for Europe’s energy transition.
The installation is also intended to demonstrate how hydrogen can be produced close to industrial users using locally available renewable electricity and water. Power to Hydrogen said this could improve energy resilience and supply security for industrial clusters by complementing imported hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives with local production.
For the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, local hydrogen production could support customers across the fuels, chemicals and mobility sectors while providing an additional source of renewable hydrogen alongside international supply networks.
The project follows Power to Hydrogen’s selection as a winner of the Free Electrons global utility-backed innovation programme in 2022. The programme required participating technologies to progress towards commercial demonstrations under real operating conditions, helping create the route to deployment at the port’s NextGen District.
The Free Electrons programme is backed by utilities including American Electric Power, EDP, E.ON, ESB, Origin Energy and CLP, several of which have subsequently invested in Power to Hydrogen.
Power to Hydrogen chief executive Paul Matter said the Antwerp installation demonstrated the company’s ability to manufacture, deliver and integrate production-ready AEM equipment at an active industrial site.
The company expects the project to generate commercial revenue from its first year of operation. Once commissioned, the installation is also expected to provide operational and third-party validation that could support future multi-megawatt AEM hydrogen projects across Europe.
The Antwerp project could therefore become an important commercial reference for AEM electrolysis, particularly as industrial users seek flexible hydrogen production that can respond to variable renewable power while reducing equipment costs and reliance on imported hydrogen.
