Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has completed construction of its first prototype proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser.
The company is currently on track to roll the first electrolysers off the production line at FFI's 2GW Gladstone Electrolyser Manufacturing (GEM) facility in Queensland, Australia, in 2023, according to Hydrogen Insight.
FFI is said to be owned by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest.
The material emphasized that this happened three months after the termination of the agreement with the well-known electrolysis company Plug Power regarding the supply of technologies for a new electrolyzer.
"This is no small feat as we are the first in Australia to do something like this," FFI chief executive Mark Hutchinson said of the prototyping phase.
He added that GEM cost about $77 million to build and was completed on time and under budget.
Hutchinson said work on the factory's automated production line and testing equipment will begin soon. Production is due to begin in 2023, although ramping up production capacity to 2 GW will take several years.
It said Plug Power, USA, was ready to supply its flagship PEM technology to the GEM plant in a 50:50 joint venture with FFI. However, in January 2023, the company withdrew from the deal due to economic impracticability. However, Forrest promised to build his own PEM electrolyser "from scratch" on the previous schedule.
"It appears that the production schedule has been moved to the end of this year, and it is unclear how FFI managed to develop its own PEM technology in such a short time," the article said.
The FFI chief also reiterated his promise to bring five green hydrogen projects to final investment decision (FID) this year in five regions, namely the US, Brazil, Kenya, Norway and Australia.
It is noted that of these projects, only the Australian project on Gibson Island came significantly closer to FID.
Hutchinson also called on the Australian government to introduce a scheme similar to the US IRA Inflation Reduction Act.
"The Australian Government can help create a level playing field between fossil fuels and 'green' energy, the equivalent of an IRA will help unlock Australia's comparative advantage in green energy production," he said.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) CEO Daniel Westerman said the country has increased its chances to become a hydrogen superpower.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the administration of US President Joe Biden announced the allocation of $47 million for development of affordable green hydrogen technologies.
