Department for Energy Security and Net Zero7 May 2025 08:01
Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 competition - Stream 2 projects
Updated 7 January 2025
Projects
Gigatest
Led by ITM Power (Trading) Ltdโจ
Contract Value: ยฃ7,709,749.00
Gigatest will be an enabler for ITM Power to accelerate both the commercial development of its 4th-generation Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stack, and its new Gigafactory manufacturing site (located in Sheffield). Through this project ITM Power seeks to commercialise the lowest-cost green hydrogen solution on the market, supporting rapid decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors whilst also strengthening the UKโs leadership in clean energy technologies.
As part of Gigatest ITM Power will build its first 4th-generation electrolyser stack. This follows conceptual designs developed through previous BEIS funding competitions. Following construction, the stack will undergo rigorous testing in Sheffield in representative conditions to validate the performance and in a 4MW field trial at a commercial site to validate the technology in real-world conditions, ensuring the technology is ready for large-scale commercialisation. ITM Powerโs 4th-generation stack has multiple advantages over current competitors including: lower capital costs, higher current density, and a smaller physical footprint for the system. These advantages will greatly enhance the stackโs ability to operate under flexible conditions when coupled to renewable energy, therefore producing green hydrogen at the lowest cost on the market. ITM Power is confident the 4th-generation stack will be globally best-in-class, offering multiple advantages over other technology platforms, and aims to establish it as the mainstream green-hydrogen solution in the UK and global markets.
Furthermore, Gigatest will be critical to ITM Power for deployment and validation of key manufacturing equipment at its new Gigafactory. This will contribute to the enabling of semi-automated mass-production processes suitable for the components of the electrolyser stacks. ITM Powerโs new Gigafactory will be crucial in ramping-up green hydrogen production in the UK and establishing the UK as a global export leader of electrolyser technologies. Advancements in manufacturing techniques and equipment through Gigatest will allow ITM Power to realise a manufacturing capacity of 1GW/year by 2024 whilst maintaining the highest quality standards for the 4th-generation stack.
Gigatest will make an important contribution to the UKโs 2030 hydrogen production target of 5 GW and to securing highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the UK.
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