Germany-based hydrogen fuel cells developer H-Tec Systems has commenced construction on its new facility for production of PEM electrolyser stacks, in the Hamburg district, Germany.
The new facility, dubbed H-Tec Systems Stack Manufacturing and Development Center, will support the development, production, testing, and service of PEM electrolyser stacks.
It will be built on a site covering an area of 35,000m2 in Victoria Park, a commercial area in the Rahlstedt district of Hamburg, on the border with Schleswig-Holstein.
The new facility will automatically produce PEM electrolysis stacks, with a potential capacity of up to 5GW, by next year and will employ several hundred people.
The stacks produced at the new factory will form the core of the company’s PEM electrolysers, manufacture at its headquarters in Augsburg.
In addition, the facility features a customer and training centre, which supports safe and effective execution of hydrogen solutions by customers and interested parties worldwide.
H-Tec Systems CEO Robin von Plettenberg said: “The need for hydrogen solutions in industry is on the increase. With more than 11,000 square meters of space available for production and test procedures, we are ideally positioned to cover future product generations at our new location and thus effectively facilitate the global hydrogen start-up.
“For a problem-free, highly available and cost-effective production of PEM electrolysers and stacks, in addition to automated production processes, it is also necessary to align the corresponding supply chains to match the needs of electrolyser and electrolysis stack production.”
The company said that the new production site in Hamburg will strengthen its position in the hydrogen market and contributes to the global hydrogen initiative.
In addition to the existing S450 stacks, the company will develop and produce new-generation stacks with enhanced performance, at the new manufacturing facility.
The automated factory is part of the PEP.IN research project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), through its H₂Giga lead project.
It is being executed through a joint venture between local investment company Garbe Industrial Real Estate and real estate developer Jebens Group.
Hamburg-based real estate consulting company Grossmann & Berger served as an intermediary for the JV and the leasing arrangement.
Köster is serving as the general contractor for the project, while real estate consulting firm Drees & Sommer supported the building and factory planning.
