Shell commissions 10 MW hydrogen electrolyzer at German refinery

According to a report from Sinochem on July 2, 2021, after two years of construction, Royal Dutch Shell launched the largest 10 MW hydrogen electrolysis plant in Europe at the Wesseling branch of its Rhineland refinery in Germany.

The 10-megawatt hydrogen electrolysis plant will produce green fuel in a consortium funded by the European Union, which has already focused on a 100-megawatt facility near Cologne to expand its commercial operations

Hydrogen produced by electrolysis from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar energy is considered "green hydrogen", while "gray hydrogen" produced from fossil fuels is the raw material for many standard industrial processes today

In terms of mass, hydrogen has a high energy content, but the conversion losses from electrolysis and the high cost of preparing for delivery pose a challenge

According to the climate goals of the EU Green Deal, green-quality hydrogen is expected to play a role in the energy sector, as well as in industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as transportation, heating, steel, and cement

Shell also plans to use renewable electricity and biomass to produce sustainable aviation fuel in Weathering, and to develop a liquefied renewable natural gas (biological LNG) plant

Shell wants to become a leading supplier of green hydrogen in the industrial sector