TÜV SÜD has developed a guideline for defining the H₂-readiness of power plants and power plant equipment, offering an independent third-party certification for OEMs and EPCs. NEM is the first provider worldwide to receive a concept certificate for its H₂-readiness concept for heat recovery steam generators and waste heat recovery units, including complementary equipment such as bypass stacks.

H₂ can play a central role in the decarbonization of energy systems. In particular, natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants (CCPP) currently being built or planned are also expected to run partially or fully on H₂ fuel in the future. This means that CCPP developers and operators will expect from manufacturers of relevant components or subsystems evidence of the ability of their products to run on H₂ in the future, also known as H₂-readiness.

The H₂-readiness guideline and the certification of TÜV SÜD can cover a complete power plant with all relevant subsystems. NEM is a manufacturer of heat recovery steam generators and exhaust gas bypass systems, which are used in CCCP to generate steam or hot water from the exhaust gas of the gas turbines. The concept certificate of TÜV SÜD confirms, that the H₂-readiness concept of NEM for the bidding phase of newly built projects complies with the requirements of the guideline and that the heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) are ready for the use with H₂ up to 100%.

The H₂-readiness certification of TÜV SÜD includes three stages and three certificates. First, a concept certificate for the conceptual design including boundary conditions during the bidding phase; second, a project certificate for the final plant design and its specifications; and third, a transition certificate for the conversion of an existing CCPP to burn H₂ – including a review of the retrofit measures and their impact on safety and performance.

“This is the first time, that we have issued a concept certificate to a manufacturer of heat recovery steam generators. This shows that our guideline and our certification scheme can be applied modularly by selecting the relevant sections for the evaluation,” said Pierre Huck, responsible project manager on the TÜV SÜD side.

“We’re proud to be the first HRSG manufacturer to receive this important certification. If we design our heat recovery steam generators today for future operation with H₂, they will make an important contribution to a reliable and sustainable power supply in the long term,” said Sebastiaan Ruijgrok, Manager Marketing & Business Development at NEM.

The TÜV SÜD certification can be applied to a wide range of solutions. The provider of testing, inspection and certification services has amassed wide-ranging expertise and experience in the field of H₂ technologies supporting the entire H₂ value chain from production, storage and distribution up to application in various areas, such as industrial production, transport or power generation.