Shell’s REFHYNE 2 renewable hydrogen project at its Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Wesseling, Germany, has passed another milestone with the arrival of its first electrolyser stacks. The first 14 of 150 stacks have been delivered, and the rest will follow over the coming months.

The stacks are the core of the plant, where the hydrogen is actually produced. They are made by ITM Power in Sheffield and arrive in purpose-built transport frames that will be reused for later shipments. Each delivery is stored and inspected before the stacks are fitted into electrolyser modules already installed on site.

Linde is the general contractor, and the plant will be one of Europe’s largest PEM electrolysers. ITM has previously said REFHYNE 2 will be able to produce up to 44,000kg of renewable hydrogen a day, partly decarbonising fuel production at the Wesseling site.

The project is part of a wider transformation of the Rheinland park. Shell is also converting Wesseling’s former crude oil processing units into a base oil plant, and it began producing bio-LNG there in 2024.