At the Shell site in Wesseling near Cologne, the hydrogen project Refhyne 2 has reached another construction phase. As Shell reports, the first 14 of a total of 150 electrolyser stacks for the planned 100 MW plant have been delivered. Further batches are expected to follow in the coming months. The components will first be stored and inspected before being installed in the already installed electrolysis modules.
“With the arrival of the first electrolyser stacks, Refhyne 2 reaches another milestone,” says Marijn Bezuijen, Senior Project Manager Transformation at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland. “The delivery marks the transition from the construction phase to the later commissioning of the plant. We are now on the home stretch of this very important transformation project for the site.”
PEM Technology by ITM Power
The stacks are manufactured by ITM Power in Sheffield, UK, and undergo tests and acceptance procedures before shipping. In the stacks, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using Proton-Exchange-Membrane technology (PEM) with electricity from renewable energies. For the transport of the sensitive components, the company uses specially developed racks that are to be reused for further deliveries. The general contractor for the project is Linde. Other project partners include Tecnalia, ERM, Sintef, and Concawe.
According to Shell, the plant is expected to produce up to 16,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year at full capacity, depending on the availability of renewable energies. Commissioning is planned for 2027, according to the company. The hydrogen produced is to be processed and fed into the existing hydrogen network at the site to reduce the CO2 intensity of operations and products there. Refhyne 2 is, according to the company, one of the largest PEM electrolysers in Europe.
Supplement to Refhyne 1
The new electrolyser complements the 10 MW electrolyser Refhyne 1, which was already commissioned in 2021 at the same site. Together, both plants are expected to cover part of the hydrogen demand of the production processes from renewable energies in the future. Shell also expects the project to provide experience in the manufacture, integration, and operation of electrolysers on an industrial scale.
Refhyne 2 is part of a larger transformation of the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland. In addition to the electrolyser, the group is investing at the site in converting the previous crude oil processing in the Wesseling plant section into a base oil plant and in the production of bio-LNG, which has been ongoing since 2024. Around 1,400 Shell employees and employees of partner companies work at the plant. They produce diesel and petrol fuels, kerosene, heating oil, and precursors for the chemical industry there.
According to Shell, Refhyne 2 is supported by funding from the EU research and innovation program Horizon 2020.
