Japan’s Asahi Kasei has signed a memorandum of understanding with electrolyzer manufacturer De Nora of Italy to jointly develop and sell small-scale pressurized alkaline water electrolyzers. The agreement was forged to leverage the experience and know-how of both companies in the chlor-alkali electrolysis field to establish a cooperation framework for development, production, sales and support in the field of water electrolysis.
Demand for green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis as a clean energy alternative to fossil fuels is growing. According to the Hydrogen Council, the global installed capacity of water electrolyzers is forecasted to expand rapidly to a cumulative total of approximately 300 GW by 2030. There is growing demand for compact production systems with reduced costs, installation space, and delivery time serving several industrial sectors including mobility, considerations which have motivated the joint venture. The plan is to provide electrolyzers in the range of 1 to 7.5 MW, below the range of Asahi Kasei’s existing portfolio.
De Nora develops electrodes and electrolyzers for several industrial electrochemical processes including small pressurized electrolyzers. Asahi Kasei’s alkaline-water electrolysis business is based on nearly five decades of providing chlor-alkali electrolyzers worldwide. The collaboration fits with Asahi Kasei’s ambition to become a one-stop solution provider in the field of electrolysis. The deal comprises technological development capabilities for membranes, electrodes, electrolytic cells and other components involved in the electrolysis process. It also includes supply chain construction as well as operation technology and know-how to achieve large-scale production, monitoring technology to ensure long-term plant operability and reliability, as well as maintenance and support systems.
Kenji Takeda, Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei responsible for Business Development of its Green Solution Project, comments: “The efforts of both companies to deploy the new water electrolysis systems will lower the hurdle for customers to adopt water electrolysis and contribute broadly to the development of the hydrogen market. We believe that the combination of De Nora’s technological expertise and experience as a world leader in the field of electrolysis for many years, together with Asahi Kasei’s customer experience-oriented business model cultivated through chlor-alkali electrolysis, will play an important role in the development and deployment of this system in the addressable markets.”
De Nora’s CEO Paolo Dellachà commented: We are proud to announce the commencement of a collaboration with Asahi Kasei to develop small-scale electrolyzers for green hydrogen generation, marking a significant step towards sustainable energy solutions. This partnership leverages the strengths of two leading companies in a strategic field, addressing the global market’s growing demand for small-scale hydrogen production systems through our combined expertise. The strategic partnership with Asahi Kasei will enable De Nora to further develop its small-scale containerized electrolyzer technology for hydrogen production, designed to supply hydrogen to various applications, including mobility, metallurgy, and other hard-to-abate sectors. It effectively supports decentralized hydrogen production in areas identified as Hydrogen Valleys, progressively eliminating the dependency on fossil fuels. In addition, this collaboration will accelerate the ramp-up of production at our Italian Gigafactory, our newest electrolyzer manufacturing hub currently under construction.”
For more info, see www.asahi-kasei.com and www.denora.com.
