Air Liquide has completed the construction of the world's largest PEM electrolyzer. Supplied with renewable energy, this unit is now producing up to 8.2 metric t/d of low-carbon hydrogen in Bécancour, Québec. 

The HyLYZER PEM electrolyzer technology is the result of more than 20 years of development by Hydrogenics, a Canadian company that was acquired by Cummins in September of 2019, a company which Air Liquide retains a 19% stake. This installation in Quebec features four compact pressurized electrolyzer skids that were fitted inside an existing building. This is a modular and scalable electrolyzer platform designed to address utility-scale hydrogen production.

The new 20 MW PEM electrolyzer, equipped with Cummins technology, is the largest operating unit of its kind in the world and will help meet the growing demand for low-carbon hydrogen in North America. Bécancour's proximity to the main industrial markets in Canada and the United States will help ensure their supply of low-carbon hydrogen for industrial use and mobility. The commissioning of this electrolysis unit increases by 50% the capacity of Air Liquide's Bécancour hydrogen production complex.

Compared to the traditional hydrogen production process, this new production unit will avoid the emission of around 27,000 metric t of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to the emissions of 10,000 cars per year. The choice of Bécancour is based on two attributes of the site: the access to abundant renewable power from Hydro-Québec and the proximity to the hydrogen mobility market in the northeast of the continent.

Cummins is rapidly growing its capabilities to support the overall hydrogen economy. The company uses fuel cell technologies to power a variety of applications, including transit buses, semi-trucks, delivery trucks, refuse trucks and passenger trains and has made several recent investments to support the overall fuel cell ecosystem. This includes acquiring Hydrogenics, which provided Cummins with PEM fuel cells and both PEM and alkaline electrolyzers, forming a joint venture with NPROXX to produce hydrogen storage tanks, and investing in the development of solid oxide fuel cells.