Siemens to Build PEM Electrolyzer for Salzgitter AG

Release time：Nov 21, 2019 From：admin

Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH has awarded the contract to build a 2.2 MW Proton Exchange Membrane PEM Electrolyzer to Siemens Gas and Power, marking an important step towards hydrogen-based steelmaking. The plant is due to commence operation in the 4th quarter of 2020 and cover SZFG’s entire current demand for hydrogen. The necessary electrical power will be generated by seven wind turbines with a capacity of 30 megawatt. These will be erected by Avacon AG on the Salzgitter Group site and will likewise enter service from 2020. The heart of the PEM electrolysis plant is the Silyzer from Siemens. The innovative PEM technology is ideally suited to exploiting the volatile generation of wind and solar power.

The cost of the project as a whole – including the construction of the wind turbines and the hydrogen plant and connecting these to the existing supply networks amounts to around 50 million euro. Hydrogen has long played a role in steelmaking, in enhancing the quality of annealing processes. The gas is currently supplied by Linde AG, and this company will in future continue to safeguard Salzgitter’s own production.

A containerized plant will be erected in Salzgitter which at full capacity will produce 400 Nm3 of hydrogen. PEM technology is ideally suited to exploiting the volatile generation of wind and solar power. The highly dynamic mode of operation allows the plants to respond to demands resulting from the rapidly fluctuating power supply.