공시 • May 09
Nel ASA Launches Next-Generation Pressurized Alkaline Electrolyser System
Nel ASA (Nel) announced the commercial launch of its next-generation pressurized alkaline electrolyser system, a new technology platform designed to simplify hydrogen production projects while significantly improving cost, efficiency and scalability. Following more than eight years of development and successful full-scale prototype testing at Nel's Herøya facility in Norway, Nel's next-generation pressurized alkaline electrolyser system is now ready for commercial deployment. The solution sets a new cost benchmark for large-scale electrolyser systems, at a time when many industrial projects have ended up at total system costs approaching, or even exceeding, USD 3,000 per kW. With this system, Nel enables an estimated turnkey full-scope cost below USD 1,450 per kW based on a 25 MW plant, with further cost synergies seen for larger plants. The estimates are based on 30 bar pressure delivered hydrogen with 99.99% purity. With this next-generation pressurized alkaline electrolyser, Nel is fundamentally changing the cost structure of industrial-scale green hydrogen production. The next-generation pressurized alkaline platform is based on a fully modular, skid-based design, with factory-assembled and tested units delivered as standardized products, rather than bespoke projects like we usually see today. The system itself operates in a 15 bar pressurized configuration, reducing the need for downstream compression and improving overall energy efficiency. It is designed for outdoor installation, minimizing civil works and site infrastructure requirements. Pressurised operation combined with a modular, factory-built design reduces complexity and improves efficiency, making the system well suited for repeatable large-scale deployment. Together, these features are expected to reduce system CAPEX by 40-60% compared to solutions available in the market today, shorten project timelines and lower execution risk, contributing to a significantly improved levelized cost of hydrogen. The technology incorporates proprietary production methods and patent-pending innovations not previously seen in the electrolyser industry, clearly differentiating Nel from other suppliers of pressurized alkaline systems. The platform is optimized for real-world operating conditions, delivering improved in-field energy performance compared with conventional solutions, where nominal efficiency often fails to translate into large-scale operation. Low-carbon hydrogen already underpins large and growing end-markets, including ammonia and methanol production, the decarbonisation of refining and chemical industries, emerging pathways for sustainable aviation fuels (eSAF), and the production of low-carbon steel. Demand across these sectors is expected to scale significantly over the coming decade, driven by climate targets, regulatory frameworks and the need to maintain industrial competitiveness. Recent developments in global energy markets have increased the focus on energy resilience, security of supply and system flexibility. As power systems transition toward higher shares of variable renewable energy, hydrogen is increasingly recognised not only as a critical industrial feedstock, but also as an important flexibility option within the energy system, enabling improved balancing of supply and demand. Hydrogen is gaining importance for long-duration energy storage, grid balancing and decentralised energy production. By enabling renewable electrolytic hydrogen to be produced closer to end users, dependence on centralised infrastructure can be reduced, system resilience strengthened and both industrial demand and broader energy-transition objectives supported. In parallel, defence and security related applications are emerging as an additional area of strategic interest, further reinforcing the case for flexible, localised hydrogen production. Nel's new pressurized alkaline platform is being industrialized following a final investment decision announced in December 2025, enabling a production capacity of up to 1 GW per year at Herøya, with a roadmap to scale production up to 4 GW annually. Industrialization of the platform is supported by a grant of up to EUR 135 million from the EU Innovation Fund, covering up to 60% of eligible industrialization costs. The support underscores the strategic importance of the technology for Europe's clean energy transition and accelerates time to market.