Essex Chemicals to install UK’s largest hydrogen fuel cell

ESSEX, UK: Essex Chemicals have plans to install UK’s largest hydrogen fuel cell to help power a chemical plant. When fully built the cell will be capable of producing 1MW of clean electrical power using hydrogen generated as a by-product in the manufacture of chlorine and caustic soda at Industrial Chemicals Limited’s (ICL) chlor-alkali plant. The project could provide a template for other chemical plants around the world. Around 1.4 million metric tonne of hydrogen is estimated to be produced by the chlor-alkali industry worldwide, of which 15 per cent is vented or flared, providing a significant potential free source of fuel for fuel cell developers.

The fuel-cell will enable ICL to reduce its dependence on grid electricity while making use of hydrogen that would typically be discharged into the atmosphere. The company intends to supply systems to ICL in stages and own, operate and maintain them, while ICL will provide hydrogen and purchase power under long-term contracts. Work should commence on an initial system later this year and the two companies said they would look for further funding from ‘appropriate agencies and bodies.’

“The prospect of developing a fuel cell capable of producing 1MW of clean electrical power from hydrogen that would otherwise be waste from the chlor-alkali process is exciting in terms of technology advancement together with commercial savings on energy cost, distribution and supplier charges. ICL looks forward to working with AFC Energy and benefiting from the potential a large-scale fuel cell system offers, and we hope that between us we can secure grant funding to accelerate the commercial demonstration of this technology,” said Darren Sharpe, Manager, Energy Projects, ICL.

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