H-TEC SYSTEMS develop site for PEM electrolysis stacks for producing green hydrogen
Hydrogen expert H-TEC SYSTEMS builds state-of-the-art and climate-neutral production and development sites for PEM electrolyzer stacks in Hamburg.
Together with representatives from politics and commerce, the official ground-breaking ceremony for a new factory of hydrogen specialist H-TEC SYSTEMS took place in the Hamburg district of Rahlstedt. In the future, the H-TEC SYSTEMS Stack Manufacturing & Development Center will combine stack development, production, testing and service at one single location and will be employing several hundred people over the long term.
As early as next year, production of PEM electrolysis stacks will be carried out there automatically providing a potential total electrolysis capacity of up to 5 gigawatts. The stacks form the heart of the PEM electrolyzers which are built at the company’s headquarters in Augsburg.
Construction of the automated factory is part of the PEP.IN research project and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) via the H₂Giga lead project for hydrogen generation. The aim of the project is to research new and innovative processes for the competitive and series production of PEM electrolysis stacks and electrolyzers in Germany in order to make green hydrogen affordable and cost-effective. In addition to the proven S450 stacks, H-TEC SYSTEMS will also develop and produce a new stack generation with enhanced performance in the Stack Manufacturing & Development Center.
With the new production site in Hamburg, H-TEC SYSTEMS is strengthening its position in the hydrogen market as well as making a decisive contribution to the global hydrogen initiative. “The need for hydrogen solutions in industry is on the increase. With more than 11,000 square meters of space available for production and test procedures, we are ideally positioned to cover future product generations at our new location and thus effectively facilitate the global hydrogen start-up,” explains Robin von Plettenberg. “For a problem-free, highly available and cost-effective production of PEM electrolyzers and stacks, in addition to automated production processes, it is also necessary to align the corresponding supply chains to match the needs of electrolyzer and electrolysis stack production.”
Dr. Uwe Lauber says, “For a successful hydrogen initiative, we have to scale up from stack manufacture to automated series production, and we are symbolically breaking ground for this today. I am very pleased that H-TEC SYSTEMS is at the forefront of this development. MAN Energy Solutions plans to invest 500 million euros in electrolyzer production during the next few years in order to make H-TEC SYSTEMS one of the world’s top 3 manufacturers.”
Dr. Andreas Dressel said, “This inter-municipal commercial zone is an example of the excellent cooperation between Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Together, we use our potential for business and trade along with creating future perspectives for future industries. Today’s ground-breaking ceremony only goes to underline this. A climate-neutral new building is being built here in the overall context of Victoria Park whereby several hundred new jobs will be created in a highly-promising and future-oriented area.
The project is also making an important contribution to establishing Hamburg as an important location for the hydrogen energy economy in Germany. We look forward to many more companies following this example and wanting to settle in this innovative environment. Thank you to all of you involved from the business sector and authorities who have made this development possible!”
