Thyssenkrupp Nucera, Unigel agree to up Brazilian Green H2 plant capacity to 240 MW

thyssenkrupp nucera and Unigel have signed a MoU to increase the capacity of the green hydrogen plant that Unigel is developing in Bahia, Brazil, from 60 MW to 240 MW of water electrolysis. The signing ceremony was held in Belo Horizonte, during the visit of the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Dr. Robert Habeck.

This is a key step for both companies continue their good collaboration to accelerate the green transformation through the development of the green hydrogen economy worldwide, they claim. 

Unigel's facility will be the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil, and is planned to be delivered by the end of this year. In the first phase, the plant will have a total water electrolysis capacity of 60 MW with thyssenkrupp nucera standard electrolyzers, translating to an initial production capacity of 10,000 tons per year of green hydrogen and 60,000 tons per year of green ammonia. 

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Unigel is one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America, and is also the largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in Brazil. The second phase of the project foresees an expansion of production capacity to 240 MW. 

"Unigel's green hydrogen plant will be the first on an industrial scale in Brazil. We continue to negotiate strategic partnerships to enable the new phases of the project", said Roberto Noronha Santos, CEO of Unigel. 

The green hydrogen and green ammonia will be offered to customers seeking to decarbonize their production chains such as the steel industry, oil refineries and ammonia producers, claims Unigel. Green ammonia will also be used in the company's value chain, as it is a raw material for the production of fertilizers and acrylics.

Dr. Werner Ponikwar, CEO and Chairman of thyssenkrupp nucera AG & Co. KGaA., commented, "Brazil has not only set ambitious climate protection plans, but is also implementing them. This includes, in particular, consistently exploiting the opportunities offered by green hydrogen". 

He added, "This is because Brazil is one of the nations predestined to take on a key role in the green transformation by consistently exploiting the potential in renewable energies. With our technologies for the development of a hydrogen economy, we are making our contribution to paving the way for the green transformation". 

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The aim of German federal minister Dr. Robert Habeck's trip is to strengthen economic relations and climate cooperation with Brazil and Colombia. The countries are said to play a key role in global climate protection, especially for the future energy security of Europe.