German utility EWE has awarded Siemens Energy a contract to supply a 280-megawatt (MW) electrolysis system with the potential to avoid around 800,000 tons of CO₂ per year.

The plant, which is in the city of Emden and is part of EWE’s large-scale hydrogen project Clean Hydrogen Coastline, will provide up to 26,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. It’s expected to go into production in 2027.

In addition to supplying the electrolyser, EWE and Siemens Energy have agreed a ten-year service contract.

Clean Hydrogen Coastline has been classified by the German government and the European Commission as an “Important Project of Common European Interest.” By definition, IPCEI projects “may represent a significant contribution to economic growth, jobs, the green and digital transition, and competitiveness for the Union industry and economy.”

IPCEIs also “make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources, and economic actors throughout the Union and create positive spillover effects to the whole Union.”

Siemens Energy’s electrolyser is based on PEM technology, which uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen along the proton exchange membrane. This technology is particularly suitable for operation with renewable energies due to the very flexible ramp-up times.

Siemens Energy manufactures the stacks – the heart of the electrolysers –in the new gigawatt factory at its Berlin site.