Sunfire installs 2.6MW high-temp electrolyzer at Neste refinery in Rotterdam; MultiPLHY

Sunfire has successfully installed what it says is the world’s first multi-megawatt (2.6 MW) high-temperature electrolyzer (HTE) for the production of green hydrogen at Neste’s renewable products refinery in Rotterdam as part of the MultiPLHY project.

Having met the refinery’s quality requirements, Sunfire has now achieved mechanical completion of the electrolysis system.

The purpose of the MultiPLHY project is to deploy a multi-megawatt high-temperature electrolyser to generate green hydrogen for production of high-quality biofuels. MultiPLHY is the first demonstration of an HTE in an industrial refining process, with a nominal power input of 2.6 MW, achieving an electrical efficiency of up to 85% AC to LHV H₂.

The MultiPLHY hydrogen project is entering its commissioning phase. Over the past few months, Sunfire has installed twelve electrolysis modules at the refinery, which together make up the 2.6 MW system.

The system is based on Sunfire’s efficient SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell) technology, which operates at temperatures of 850 °C. Utilizing industrial excess heat, the electrolyzer processes steam to hydrogen with the highest conversion efficiency. Sunfire says that its SOEC technology is the most efficient on the market because the high-temperature-process significantly reduces the amount of electricity required.

Sunfire’s electrolyzer will be integrated into Neste’s refinery processes and will become part of the on-site production of renewable products. Once operational, the electrolyzer will produce more than 60 kg of green hydrogen per hour.

In addition to Sunfire, the MultiPLHY consortium includes Neste, the French research center CEA, SMS Group company Paul Wurth and ENGIE. The project is funded by the EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

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