Norwegian PEM electrolyser firm Hystar has awarded thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering a contract to supply a 4.5GW automated electrolyser manufacturing line for its gigafactory in Høvik.
Coming as a key part of Hystar’s expansion plans, the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract is hoped to improve efficiency and increase manufacturing capacity from its current 100MW.
The factory in Høvik will accommodate a footprint of just 2,500m2, including stack assembly, quality control and testing, using automated production techniques from the fuel cell industry.
This is thanks to stack components being supplied from an “established, high-volume supply chain,” allowing Hystar to rapidly scale production.
Hystar revealed plans for the Norwegian factory last October, saying it expected the site to be online by 2025.
Read more: Hystar plans 4GW Norwegian electrolyser and North American expansion
© Hystar
Developing PEM electrolyser with membranes 1/10 the thickness of conventional membranes, Hystar believes it has significantly more efficient technology.
The company’s CEO, Frederik Mowill, said the factory would strengthen Hystar’s ability to deliver “competitive and efficient solutions” to its customers for large-scale green hydrogen projects.
Mowill previously told H2 View, “What we’re doing is pretty unusual for the electrolyser world, even though it is common for the fuel cell industry. For example, if we want to produce one gigawatt’s worth of electrolysers that’s less than 2,000 stacks, whereas in a small fuel cell plant it would be more like 30,000 stacks.
“On the one hand, using automated production techniques is unique and interesting, and then on the other hand, it has been done before in the fuel cell world. We are not pushing the limits of what can be done there.”
Read more: Game-changing electrolyser technology – an interview with Hystar
Last year the company signed its first commercial contract with Polish energy major Polenergia for a 5MW electrolyser system. This was followed up by an order for a 0.75MW system by Fortum for use in a Finnish pilot project.
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