Sunfire installs 20-MW electrolysis plant in Finland
German electrolyser manufacturer Sunfire says it has installed Finland’s first industrial-scale electrolysis plant in Harjavalta, with green hydrogen production anticipated to start later this year.
The 20-megawatt pressurised alkaline electrolyser is installed at Finnish green hydrogen developer P2X Solution’s hydrogen plant in western Finland. The project started construction a year ago. At full capacity, the plant will produce 400 kilograms/hour of green hydrogen using wind energy. It will be commissioned in the coming months, according to Sunfire.
The project also has a methanisation plant, which will produce “renewable synthetic methane” from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen, Kallanish learns from a statement.
P2X signed an offtake agreement with Danisco Sweeteners, a unit of US-based International Flavors & Fragrances, for green hydrogen produced from the plant last November. The company will use the green hydrogen at its plant in Kotka, Finland, to reduce carbon emissions during the production of xylitol, a synthesised sugar alternative used in the food industry.
P2X is targeting a total capacity of 1 gigawatt for green hydrogen production by 2031.
“Green hydrogen will play a crucial role in the transformation of the chemical sector,” says Sunfire ceo, Nils Aldag. “We feel privileged to be part of this pioneering project with P2X Solutions, where our pressurised alkaline electrolyser will be operated on an industrial scale. I am especially pleased that our ‘Made in Europe’ electrolysis technology will contribute to Finnish energy history.”
The project has an estimated total investment of €70 million ($75.4m). Of this, €36m was provided by the Finnish government’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Finnish Climate Fund.
Based in Dresden, Germany, Sunfire develops and manufactures electrolysers based on solid oxide electrolyser cell (SOEC) and alkaline technologies. Last September, German energy developer RWE produced the first green hydrogen at its gas-fired power plant in Emsland, Germany, using a 250-kilowatt (kW) SOEC supplied by Sunfire.
Early last year, the company also began the series production of alkaline electrolysers at its Solingen site in Germany.
