Asahi Kasei Celebrates Milestones at Hydrogen Pilot Plant

Asahi Kasei celebrated the official opening of its new hydrogen pilot plant on Monday, May 13, which began operation back in March. The pilot plant is operating four 0.8 MW Aqualyzer electrolyzer modules under realistic conditions—the second milestone toward a commercial-scale multi-module 100 MW-class alkaline water electrolysis system to produce green hydrogen.

“This pilot facility is a milestone not only for Asahi Kasei, but also for the global hydrogen business in general,” said Masami Takenaka, Lead Executive Officer at Asahi Kasei. “We believe that successfully operating our equipment in this test facility will be a door opener for commercial large-scale multi-module alkaline water electrolyzers and eventually the realization of a hydrogen society.”

To assess the system under realistic conditions, construction of the hydrogen pilot plant began at its Kawasaki manufacturing site in November 2022; module operation began in March 2024. Testing with realistic parameters includes operation during maintenance and low power supply at night, and the equipment can simulate the fluctuating power input of wind or solar. Japan’s Green Innovation Fund supports the construction, operation, and overall financing of the plant.

Hydrogen pilot plant in Kawasaki, Japan; Image Credits: Business Wire

Asahi Kasei will utilize the trial data to further optimize the equipment design, operation methods, and control technology for the electrolysis system, leading to the company’s goal of deploying a larger-scale green hydrogen production method. Following operational success and optimization, the company plans to combine up to 10 modules with a capacity of 10 MW each for commercial electrolysis systems with a total capacity of up to 100 MW.

Commercial business activities for Asahi Kasei’s alkaline water electrolyzers will begin in 2025, and system testing at multiple trials provided the company leverage in a joint feasibility study with Gentari and JGC Corp. for a 60 MW-class electrolyzer in Malaysia.

This collaborative feasibility study was completed in November of last year, examining the production of up to 8,000 tons per year of green hydrogen with the aforementioned 60 MW-class alkaline water electrolyzer system. The partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for the electrolyzer project. According to the MoU’s terms, the FEED study is scheduled to begin in January of 2024 and operation will commence in 2027.

The partners will accelerate the deployment of a 60 MW water electrolyzer coupled with an integrated control system to produce green hydrogen. The collaboration between Asahi Kasei, Gentari, and JGC establishes a market for regional green hydrogen production and aligns with the decarbonization goals across southeast Asia, including Japan and Malaysia.

“The project stands as a catalyst for advancing Malaysia’s hydrogen economy towards achieving its green hydrogen target of 200,000 tons per year by 2030, aligning with the National Energy Transition Roadmap and Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap,” said Michèle Azalbert, Gentari’s Chief Hydrogen Officer. “Beyond this, Gentari is developing hydrogen projects with national and state entities to position Malaysia as the region’s leading hydrogen hub, leveraging PETRONAS assets and the country’s strategic advantages.”