Posted on 07 Feb 2024
Germany’s anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyser manufacturer Enapter and China’s Wolong Electric group will create a joint venture to boost Enapter’s modular and iridium-free electrolyser manufacturing in China. The agreement also includes a supply contract worth more than €6 million ($6.4m), Kallanish learns from Enapter.
With 49% in the joint venture, the German firm will provide engineering services and technical support and will grant the JV a licence to produce its AEM Electrolysers locally for the Chinese market. The deal has a licence fee of 3% for future sales.
Wolong will provide local resources and personnel to start electrolyser production, as well as inject around €2m in the new company. The JV will acquire stacks that Enapter manufactures in Pisa, Italy.
“By utilising Wolong’s resources and expertise to set up production and a sales and service network in China, we are implementing part of our communicated strategy of establishing international partnerships,” Enapter says in a statement. The company did not disclose when the JV would start production in China.
AEM electrolysers pioneered by Enapter are said to be able to reduce green hydrogen costs towards a point where they become competitive with fossil fuels. Thanks to a highly standardised and modular design, the electrolysers allow production from kilowatt to megawatt scale at lower associated costs for several applications including power storage, mobility and industrial use.
Enapter says its AEM multicore technology is cheaper than similarly sized PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysers and on par with alkaline systems, though it doesn’t provide figures. It uses 420 AEM stacks for a more reliable and resilient system, capable of producing around 450 kg of hydrogen per day.
The German company has delivered its AEM Nexus 1000 electrolyser to the Hydrogen Terminal project implemented by Siz Energieplus and the University of Braunschweig that will provide green hydrogen as well as processed electrolysers’ waste heat.
The terminal, set to start operations in Q2 2024, is a green hydrogen research facility that is being built at the University of Braunschweig campus.
Source:Kallanish
