Industrial fuel cell power company AFC Energy and Industrial Chemicals Ltd have been awarded a European Union grant of up to € 6 million for the installation of the world’s largest alkaline fuel cell energy generation system at ICL’s chlor-alkaline chemical plant in Essex, UK. AFC attracted attention in October when Roman Abramovich’s investment firm, Ervington Investments, bought a 15% stake in the company.
The award is being funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU), through the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). It will provide more than four years’ funding to AFC, ICL, and their European partners for the project, which was first unveiled in June this year. The grant is subject to final negotiation but is expected to be in place to enable commencement during spring 2013. AFC Energy will co-ordinate the project and expects its direct share of the project funding to be up to €3m.
AFC Energy’s alkaline fuel cell system will be installed in stages at the ICL owned and operated chemical facility and is expected eventually to generate around 1MWe. The chlor-alkali plant manufactures chlorine and caustic soda (NaOH). Hydrogen produced as a waste by-product will be power the fuel cell system.
The project is part of ICL’s integrated energy generation plan. It is the largest fuel cell system announced for installation in the UK to date and is believed to be the largest alkaline fuel cell system anywhere in the world. Without it, waste hydrogen would be discharged into the atmosphere.
Linkedin
