Spanish shipyard group Navantia is planning to begin production at a new 500-MW electrolyser assembly line in northwest Spain by the “end of 2022 or beginning of 2023”, Recharge reported.
“The capacity for assembly of electrolysers in the short term is about 500-MW oer year and could be rapidly increased,” a Navantia spokeswoman told the publication.
The new facility — being built at its turbine factory in the northwestern Spanish city of Ferrol — will use stacks supplied by a third-party “electrolyser technologist” in the first phase, at least, she explains.
“We will establish collaboration with [this] world-renowned technologist, there are advanced conversations and the collaboration agreement is expected to be closed before [the] end of 2022. The type [of] model of collaboration — license agreement, joint venture or other alternative — will be defined by then.”
The Navantia spokeswoman added that the company’s ambition was to produce both alkaline and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysers.
“We will start production of electrolysers already tested and in commercial production by the technologist,” she said. “The ambition in the future is to participate in new developments and acquire the capacity to manufacture the whole electrolysers, including the stacks.”
Navantia’s intention to build an electrolyser production line was revealed with zero details last month, as part of a press release announcing an agreement between the shipbuilder and Spanish oil company Repsol to jointly explore “renewable hydrogen generation opportunities”.
Navantia also builds offshore wind turbine foundations and earlier this year it set up a new brand called Navantia Seanergies to push its non-shipbuilding activities.
This is an excerpt of a story by Recharge, TradeWinds’ sister publication covering the renewables sector. Click here to read the full story.
