World’s largest low-carbon hydrogen membrane-based production unit now in Canada

Air Liquide has completed the construction of the world’s largest PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyzer. Supplied with renewable energy, this unit is now producing up to 8.2 tonnes per day of low-carbon hydrogen in Bécancour, QC. With this large-scale investment, the Paris-based company confirms its long-term commitment to the hydrogen energy markets and its ambition to be a major player in the supply of low-carbon hydrogen.

The new 20 MW PEM electrolyser, 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 percent 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 tonnes 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.

According to Susan Ellerbusch, CEO, Air Liquide North America and Group executive committee member, “the fight against climate change is at the heart of the Air Liquide Group’s strategy.

“The inauguration of the Bécancour site in Canada marks an important step in the implementation of this strategy. With this world’s first, Air Liquide confirms its commitment to the production of low-carbon hydrogen on an industrial scale and its ability to effectively deploy the related technological solutions. Hydrogen will play a key role in the energy transition and the emergence of a low-carbon society.”

Air Liquide started its activity in Canada in 1911 and now has a team of more than 2,500 employees working to serve more than 200,000 customers and patients across Canada.

The company offers gas, equipment and services in a wide variety of sectors including aeronautics, automotive, agri-food industries, chemical, metallurgy, metal fabrication, mining, oil and gas and healthcare.