Air Liquide takes FID to build ELYgator electrolyser in the Netherlands 

Industrial gases company Air Liquide has taken the final investment decision for ELYgator, a large-scale 200 MW electrolyser project planned at Maasvlakte, in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.  

The company is to invest more than €500mn to build, own and operate the electrolyser, which is due onstream by the end of 2027. It is expected to produce 23,000 t/y of renewable hydrogen, serving industrial and heavy-duty mobility customers.   

The project recently secured an undisclosed sum from the Dutch government’s OWE subsidy scheme, following earlier funding from the European Innovation Fund and the Dutch IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) programme.   

Air Liquide has already signed a long-term offtake agreement with TotalEnergies, under which ELYgator will supply some 15,000 t/y of green hydrogen to the company’s refinery in Antwerp, Belgium. The project is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions at the refinery by up to 150,000 t/y.   

ELYgator will use renewable power from the 795 MW OranjeWind project offshore the Netherlands, being developed by TotalEnergies (50%) and RWE (50%). The electrolyser is reported to be first of its kind, integrating both proton exchange membrane and (PEM) and alkaline technologies on the same site.   

Air Liquide has not disclosed how the two technologies will be split at the ELYgator site. Nor has it named who will supply them.  

ELYgator is the second large-scale renewable and low-carbon hydrogen project in Rotterdam, the first being Shell’s Holland Hydrogen I project. Once operational in the second half of this decade, the 200 MW Shell plant will produce up to 80 t/d of hydrogen. It too will be powered by offshore wind from the North Sea.  

Immingham hydrogen project up in the air 

Meanwhile, a number of media outlets reported in July that Air Products had cancelled plans to build a £2bn ($2.7bn) hydrogen import and ammonia cracking terminal at the Port of Immingham, citing a lack of commitment from the UK government. (Despite the similar names and services, the two publicly-traded companies are independent; Air Liquide is based in Paris, France; Air Products in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US.)  

Although having received planning approval earlier this year, the company indicated that the absence of firm policy support and financial backing from the UK government had made the project untenable, according to reports.  

Air Products was to supply green hydrogen to the terminal from its 2.2 GW NEOM project in Saudi Arabia. The Immingham project was to have produced some 76,000 t/y of hydrogen.  

However, it was subsequently reported in Energy Voice that Air Products had not cancelled its green hydrogen plans – ‘yet’. By press date, Air Products had not responded to New Energy World’s request for clarification.  

Hydrogen injection into UK gas network consultation opens 

Finally, the UK government is seeking stakeholder views of the potential strategic and economic value of blending hydrogen into Great Britain’s (GB) gas transmission network. The government believes hydrogen could play a key role in the UK achieving its net zero emissions by 2050 target, as well as provide greater domestic energy security.   

The previous government consulted in 2023 on the potential strategic and economic value of blending up to 20% hydrogen by volume into existing GB gas distribution networks and options for implementation. However, while 20% blending may be technically feasible, this latest consultation is considering a lower hydrogen blend of 2% for the gas network. This, it says, is due to concerns about potential costs, infrastructure modifications and variability of supply for users, especially at higher concentrations.  

The consultation is due to close on 16 September 2025.