Plug Power landed three 5-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer projects with Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, Hydro Havrand and the APEX Group for the first-ever use of industrial-scale green H₂ in glass manufacturing, aluminum recycling and steel manufacturing processes. Plug is the only company offering 5-MW containerized PEM electrolyzers. The standardized turnkey system, with a production capacity of more than 2 tpd, reduces site construction costs and implementation complexity.

Green glass manufacturing. Located east of Gothenburg, Sweden, Ardagh Glass Limmared AB is the only glass packaging producer in the Nordics and a supplier to Sweden’s most popular spirits company. Dedicated to sustainable packaging solutions, Ardagh will produce 2.1 metric tpd of green H₂ by the end of the year, replacing a portion of the natural gas used today while reducing overall carbon emissions at the plant. Ardagh will use hydroelectric power to generate H₂ from Plug’s electrolyzer.

Aluminum recycling. Hydro Havrand, a new unit of aluminum giant Norsk Hydro ASA, is on a mission to decarbonize heavy industry with green H₂. To build a close-loop circular economy for its aluminum recycling plant in Hoyanger, Norway, Hydro will employ a 5-MW Plug electrolyzer module by June 2024. The electrolyzer will displace natural gas used in the plant’s burner with 2.1 metric tpd of green H₂. Norsk Hydro, the mother company, has deep expertise in electrolysis dating back to the 1950s.

Green steel manufacturing. In Bremen, Germany, Plug and its trusted partner APEX Group, an integrator with strong project execution expertise, will demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of producing green steel through the decarbonization of ArcelorMittal’s local blast furnaces. Plug will deliver two 5-MW electrolyzer modules with a capacity to produce 4.2 metric tpd of green H₂ to SWB, the city’s public utility company, by the end of this year. The long-term goal is full decarbonization of the steel industry in northern Germany and the rest of Europe.

By 2030, the European Union plans to produce 10 MM metric tpy of green H₂ to decarbonize European industries and the mobility sector. The deployment of Plug’s electrolyzers will contribute to this decarbonization roadmap.

“Plug is breaking new ground with this series of industry firsts that validate our vision to scale the green H₂ economy,” said Plug CEO Andy Marsh. “We were bold enough to design and build the industry’s first 5-MW electrolyzer module, and customers are now clambering for its holistic, compact, easy-to-install features.”