Chlorine and caustic soda production are highly energy-intensive industries, but the Nedstack PEM Power Plant will enable the SolVin chlor-alkali plant at Antwerp-Lillo to self-generate 20 per cent of its total electricity consumption.
In addition to 1 MW of electricity, the Power Plant also produces 1 MW of heat, which can be reused in the production process for significant additional cost savings.
PEM fuel cells operating on hydrogen are emissions-free, so the PEM Power Plant is helping the chemicals industry towards meeting European targets to significantly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Independent fuel cell manufacturer Nedstack commissioned MTSA Technopower in Arnhem to build the PEM Power Plant, which comprises 12 600 PEM fuel cell stacks.
In 2007, Nedstack built a smaller, 70 kW model for AkzoNobel in Delfzijl, in the Netherlands. These fuel cells recently reached 10 000 hours of continuous operation, and are expected to last for 20 000 hours in total. The Akzo Power Plant, which has been in operation for four years, requires minimum maintenance, and is monitored remotely by Nedstack.
The 1 MW PEM Power Plant was transported earlier today from Arnhem to Antwerp by low loader truck. It will be operational by September.
The cross-border Interreg project – for the Hydrogen Region Flanders-South Netherlands – contributed to the realisation of the Nedstack 1 MW fuel cell Power Plant.
The Hydrogen Region project, coordinated by WaterstofNet, has an overall budget of €14 million to develop hydrogen knowledge and projects within the Flanders-South Netherlands region. The program focuses on sustainable hydrogen and early markets in the application areas of maritime, logistics, and cities. Completion of the 1 MW fuel cell Power Plant is the first milestone in this program.