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JapanMilan, 11th September 2024 – Industrie De Nora, an Italian multinational company specializing in electrochemistry and a leader in sustainable technologies and the emerging green hydrogen industry, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei to develop and market containerized electrolyzers and systems for small-scale green hydrogen production.
Asahi Kasei, a Japanese multinational company and a well-recognized player with extensive experience in several industries and expertise in chlor-alkali electrolysis, is targeting several vertical markets that require small-scale, containerized solutions for on-site green hydrogen production through water electrolysis.
The parties aim to deploy their respective expertise and extensive footprint in the electrochemical field and will jointly develop the technology of containerized solutions. De Nora will leverage its Italian Gigafactory, currently under construction in Cernusco sul Naviglio, near Milan, and further enhance its pressurized electrolyzer designed for small, decentralized green hydrogen needs. Meanwhile, Asahi Kasei will leverage its worldwide organization to generate sales’ opportunities and provide after-sales support for the identified new fast-growing industrial markets, including mobility.
The demand for green hydrogen, produced via water electrolysis, is increasing as a clean energy alternative to fossil fuels. The global installed capacity of water electrolyzers is projected to grow rapidly to tenths of a Gigawatt in the next few years, thus becoming a key element of decarbonization. In the current landscape, an increasing number of companies are entering the water electrolysis sector. There is a significant rise in demand for compact production systems that offer reduced costs, minimal installation space, and shorter delivery times. These systems are particularly sought after in various industrial sectors, including mobility.
To meet this growing demand for smaller hydrogen production systems, De Nora is building its new Italian Gigafactory to establish a modern and highly automated manufacturing and assembly of systems, with a capacity ranging between 1 to 7.5 MW and this collaboration is an important step to ensure further improvement of its characteristics and the return of investment of the Gigafactory.
Under the non-binding MoU signed with Asahi Kasei, De Nora will focus on further improving and then mass manufacturing modular pressurized electrolyzers and systems covering new emerging diversified customers across the entire hydrogen market while leveraging the Asahi Kasei goal to enlarge its portfolio establishing a presence in the small-scale containerized pressurized electrolyzers.
This collaboration is an important step in De Nora’s roadmap to secure a reliable partner for reaching the Asian Market and increase the production volume of the Gigafactory under construction.
Working closely with a partner like Asahi Kasei will speed up the technological development of the electrolytic cells and other components involved in the electrolysis process and its adaptation to the offtakers’ needs. Going beyond mere technical expertise, both parties will benefit from building up a stronger and extended supply chain, enhanced know-how in operation technology, and a faster learning curve to achieve large-scale production, ensure long-term plant operability and reliability, as well as maintenance and support systems.
De Nora’s CEO Paolo Dellachà commented: “We are proud to announce the commencement of a collaboration with Asahi Kasei to develop and improve small-scale electrolyzers for green hydrogen generation, marking a significant step towards sustainable energy solutions through our combined expertise. The strategic partnership will enable De Nora to develop further new routes to market our electrolyzers and system to sectors in need of hydrogen, including mobility, metallurgy, and other hard-to-abate sectors. It effectively addresses the decentralized hydrogen production needs in areas identified as “Hydrogen Valleys,” progressively eliminating the dependency on fossil fuels. With the collaboration of Asahi Kasei, we will further develop the Dragonfly® technology and fully exploit the untapped potential of green hydrogen in Asia and worldwide, thus accelerating the ramp-up of production at our Italian Gigafactory, our newest electrolyzer manufacturing hub currently under construction.”
Kenji Takeda, Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei responsible for Business Development of its Green Solution Project, commented: “The efforts of both companies to deploy the new water electrolysis systems will lower the hurdle for customers to adopt water electrolysis and contribute broadly to the development of the hydrogen market. We believe that the combination of De Nora’s technological expertise and experience as a world leader in the field of electrolysis for many years, together with Asahi Kasei's customer experience-oriented business model cultivated through chlor-alkali electrolysis, will play an important role in the development and deployment of this system in the addressable markets.”
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Industrie De Nora is an Italian multinational company listed on the Euronext Milan stock exchange specializing in electrochemistry, a leader in sustainable technologies, and plays a vital role in the industrial green hydrogen production chain. The company has a portfolio of products and systems to optimize the energy efficiency of critical industrial electrochemical processes and a range of products and solutions for water treatment. Globally, Industrie De Nora is the world's largest supplier of electrodes for the major industrial electro-chemical processes (serving a broad portfolio of customers operating in the fields of chlorine and caustic soda production, components for electronics, and surface finishing). Industrie De Nora is among the world's leading suppliers of water filtration and disinfection technologies (for the industrial, municipal, swimming pool and marine sectors). Leveraging its well-established electrochemical knowledge and proven manufacturing capability, the Company has developed and qualified a portfolio of electrodes and components to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, which is critical for the energy transition. In this sector, the company holds 25.85% of thyssenkrupp nucera AG &Co, joint venture formed with thyssenkrupp group. KGaA. Founded in 1923, Industrie De Nora generated total revenues of around EUR 856 million and an Adjusted EBITDA of approximately EUR 171 million in 2023. The Company's growth process has developed organically through its continuous innovation as regards external lines through acquisitions in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. De Nora’s intellectual property portfolio currently includes more than 281 patent families with more than 2,800 territorial extensions. The De Nora family owns 53.3% of the company’s share capital. Snam S.p.A. is a minority shareholder with about 21.6% of the capital.
Sustainability: De Nora is committed to providing clean, sustainable, and innovative technological solutions while promoting a circular economy with engaged people who are eager to make a difference.
To learn more visit De Nora | Sustainability
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