Belgian manufacturer John Cockerill is to build a 1GW factory for its pressurized alkaline electrolysers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi-owned aviation parts supplier Strata Manufacturing.
The company tells Hydrogen Insight that a joint venture will be established to build the factory, but that the details are still being worked out — including its location.
Electrolysers produced at the “landmark” facility — the first in the country and the Middle East — will be both sold locally and exported, with Strata bringing its “expertise in advanced manufacturing” to the table.
John Cockerill — named after its 19th-century English founder — plans to have 8GW of electrolyser manufacturing capacity in operation or under construction worldwide by 2025.
It already has two 1GW factories in operation in China; is constructing a 1GW electrolyser stack plant in Aspach, France, (with the electrolysers due to be assembled in Belgium); it will build a 2GW facility in India, in a partnership with local company Greenko; and plans further 1GW plants in the US and Morocco.
The company says it sold 33% of all electrolysers worldwide in 2021, with 153MW delivered from its wholly owned Chinese subsidiary Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen.
John Cockerill says that its pressurised alkaline machines perform much like PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysers in terms of their ability to quickly ramp up and down in line with variable renewable energy input, but cost about the same as cheaper non-pressurised alkaline systems.
It also recently formed a joint venture with engineer Technip Energies called Rely, which offers end-to-end solutions — everything from pre-final investment decision services through to product supply, project execution and operations and maintenance.
The collaboration between John Cockerill and the two Abu Dhabi-owned companies was facilitated by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and announced in the presence of ADNOC CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also the country’s industry minister and special envoy for climate change, and is due to be president of the upcoming COP28 climate change summit in Dubai.
“Hydrogen is a critical fuel in the energy transition and this agreement underscores how the energy sector can work with the industrial and hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonize at scale, drive low-carbon economic growth and enhance energy security,” said Hanan Balalaa, senior vice president, New Energies and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, at ADNOC.
“ADNOC will continue to advance lower-carbon solutions and decarbonization technologies to strengthen our position as a responsible energy provider and support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.
“As a leader in large scale green hydrogen production and distribution solutions, we are delighted to collaborate with ADNOC and Strata Manufacturing to develop electrolyser manufacturing capabilities in the UAE,” said John Cockerill Hydrogen CEO Raphaël Tilot.
