Power to Hydrogen (P2H2) has delivered and begun installing a 0.5-megawatt anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, marking a major step toward industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production.

 

The project is the world’s first to use 250-kilowatt AEM electrolyzer stacks and, once commissioned, will demonstrate renewable hydrogen production in a high-throughput industrial port under real operating conditions. Commissioning is scheduled for September.

 

The installation is P2H2’s first commercial deployment of its M-Class hybrid AEM electrolyzers, a platform designed to scale to 25 megawatts for energy-intensive industrial applications.

 

The system uses modular 250-kilowatt stacks and is engineered for rapid response to changing renewable power supplies, with a response time of less than 50 milliseconds. Its pressurized operation is also designed to reduce downstream compression requirements and simplify the balance of plant.

 

P2H2 says its AEM technology replaces the expensive precious metals used in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers with lower-cost materials including steel and nickel. The company says this materials strategy can reduce capital costs by up to 65% compared with comparable PEM systems.

 

“Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a hub where ambition and action come together,” said Rob Smeets, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges. “By welcoming Power to Hydrogen’s commercial-scale AEM electrolyzer, we take another concrete step in supporting the demonstration of scalable, flexible technologies in Europe that are needed in Europe's energy transition. It’s through these partnerships that we accelerate the shift toward a resilient, strong European future.”

 

Once commissioned, the project is expected to provide a repeatable configuration for future multi-megawatt installations while giving the technology third-party validation under operating conditions.

 

“Renewable hydrogen is moving from pilots to infrastructure and the winners will be the companies that can manufacture, deliver, and operate at industrial scale,” said Paul Matter, CEO of Power to Hydrogen. 

 

“Bringing our system to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a tangible step toward financeable deployment: it proves we can build and ship industry-ready hardware, integrate into a live site, and commission a megawatt-class AEM platform designed for renewable load-following. This project is the blueprint for scaling deployments across Europe and empowers European industry to produce hydrogen feedstock domestically, from its own renewable power, in addition to importing it.”

 

The electrolyzer will serve growing hydrogen demand across mobility and industrial applications in the region, with commercial revenue expected from the first year of operation. Holthausen, a regional supplier of industrial gases and hydrogen-powered trucks, is the project's initial key offtaker, with additional customers expected to be added over time.

 

The project also highlights the role of local hydrogen production in strengthening industrial energy security. By converting renewable electricity and water into hydrogen at the point of use, ports and industrial clusters can reduce dependence on a single supply source while maintaining access to imported hydrogen and derivatives.

 

For Antwerp’s fuels, chemicals and mobility sectors, that creates a more diversified supply model combining locally produced renewable hydrogen with global supply networks.

 

The project traces its roots to P2H2’s selection as the 2022 winner of Free Electrons, a global utility-sponsored innovation program. The program required a commercial demonstration under real operating conditions, paving the way for the project at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ NextGen District.

 

Free Electrons is backed by utilities including American Electric Power (AEP), EDP, E.ON, ESB, Origin Energy and CLP. Several of those utilities are now investors in Power to Hydrogen.

 

“Utilities invest in technologies when there’s a credible path to performance in the field and repeatable deployments,” said Daniel Joisten, Head of Technology Scouting and Innovation at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions. “This project at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is an important step in proving flexible, renewable load-following AEM electrolysis at commercial scale and in building confidence that these systems can be deployed broadly.”

 

With installation now underway and commissioning targeted for September, the Antwerp project moves P2H2’s AEM technology beyond demonstration toward repeatable commercial deployment—and puts industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production to the test in one of Europe’s busiest ports.