Thermax Partners with Ceres for green hydrogen production 

By Staff Report September 12, 2024 4:38 pm IST

 Thermax partners with Ceres Power to manufacture efficient Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) systems, advancing cost-effective green hydrogen production and decarbonizing industries like steel, ammonia, and refineries, targeting global energy transition.

Thermax, an energy and environment solutions provider, announced a collaboration with Ceres Power Limited, a subsidiary of Ceres Power Holdings plc (CWR.L), a developer of clean energy technology. The two companies have entered a non-exclusive, global license agreement for Thermax to manufacture, sell and service stack array modules (SAM) based on Ceres’ advanced solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology. Thermax will also develop, commercialise and sell SAM balance of modules (SBM) and multi-megawatt SOEC electrolyser modules. The partnership marks a significant step towards accelerating the deployment of SOEC technology in India and worldwide that will enable cost-effective green hydrogen production.

Under this partnership, Thermax will leverage its extensive experience in heat integration and waste heat recovery to manufacture a first-of-its-kind pressurised SAM and design, engineer, and develop SAM balance of module (SBM), a building block for further development of a multi-MW SOEC electrolyser module.

The collaboration will deliver systems that are up to 25% more efficient than incumbent low-temperature electrolysis technologies and effectively utilise steam generated from industrial process heat/waste heat recovery. This makes it an optimal solution for decarbonising hard-to-abate industries such as ammonia/fertiliser, steel, refineries and chemical production.

As a step towards commercialisation, Thermax plans to establish a manufacturing facility for the electrolysers, develop the supply chain, and localise critical components.

This collaboration positions Thermax among the few companies globally to provide large-scale SOEC systems for commercial applications.

Commenting on this partnership, Ashish Bhandari, Managing Director & CEO, Thermax: “In India, significant strides are being made towards embracing renewable energy sources, particularly green hydrogen, as the country targets to produce 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. We are excited to partner with Ceres to bring advanced solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) technology to India. By leveraging our expertise in thermal management, we aim to offer a highly efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production solution that will accelerate the energy transition in India and globally. This collaboration aligns with our commitment to driving sustainable solutions for accelerating decarbonisation for hard-to-abate industries.”

Phil Caldwell, CEO of Ceres, commented: “I am pleased to announce our SOEC systems partnership with Thermax, an engineering leader with expertise in heat integration and waste heat recovery processes and deep industrial customer relationships. This system licence agreement will take Ceres into the Indian market which is rapidly becoming one of the most dynamic and increasingly important markets for green hydrogen, green steel and green ammonia.”