Plug electrolyser of 5 MW to help decarbonise Canadian oil refinery

Canadian energy company Irving Oil wants to shift its hydrogen production to low-carbon, or even green in the future, and for this reason has ordered a 5-MW electrolyser system from Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ:PLUG).

The US hydrogen solutions company said in a statement it will deliver a containerised proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser system of the aforementioned size for the production and distribution of hydrogen at Canada’s largest oil refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Irving Oil will use the equipment and electricity from the grid to produce 2 tonnes of hydrogen per day for refining and mobility applications. Over time, the company will be able to shift to green hydrogen production as well, Plug noted.

“This foundational project will accelerate our company’s learning about hydrogen as a downstream product while creating a decarbonization pathway for our Saint John refinery,” said Ian Whitcomb, Irving Oil’s president.

Plug will manufacture the electrolysers at its Gigafactory in Rochester, New York, and will deliver them for deployment in the third quarter of 2023. The system is expected to be fully operational by late 2023.

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