ITM Linde is a joint venture company between ITM Power and Linde Engineering, which was incorporated in January 2020.
The company will focus on providing global green gas solutions at industrial scale – 10MW and up – using ITM Power’s modular PEM electrolysis technology and Linde’s world class EPC expertise to deliver turnkey solutions to customers.
ITM Linde pulls together world-leading hydrogen expertise, with Andreas Rupieper, Head of Group R&D and Portfolio Management at Linde, recently appointed as Managing Director of the company.
Read more: Linde completes minority stake in ITM Power
Read more: ITM Power: Right place, right time
Before Joining Linde as vice-president – head of business unit petrochemistry, Andreas worked as a senior consultant for Management Engineers, now part of PWC Strategy, and before that for 13 years at Thyssenkrupp, most recently as project director, EPC.
“Hydrogen is a key facilitator in the energy transition and has significant market potential. Joining forces with ITM Power, a leading OEM for electrolysis-based hydrogen production systems, enables a joint market offering to serve our customers with the best-in-class solution for their specific requirements,” noted Rupieper.
Linde’s many existing hydrogen customers use vast quantities of hydrogen in various markets, such as ammonia production, refineries and steel production.
“Electrolysis plants powered by renewable energy are not yet common,” said Rupieper. “Together, ITM Power, with its modular design, and Linde, with its expertise in hydrogen technology, can be at the cutting edge of a global development.”
ITM Power’s world class technology provides scalable electrolyser solutions for a clean on-site green gas supply. This approach allows a solution to decarbonise processes who rely on a supply of hydrogen and towards a direction to lower harmful emission targets.
Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power, said the two partners have had a strong relationship over the years: “We know each other well and it became obvious to both of us that combining Linde’s customer base and EPC skills with our expertise in designing and manufacturing green electrolysis equipment could be a world leader in the drive to decarbonise key industrial processes.”
gasworld caught up with ITM Linde to find out more.
Source: Linde
Linde’s HyCO and ammonia plants produce essential gases such as hydrogen
gasworld (GW): Where did the idea for the ITM Power/Linde joint venture come from? Who initiated it?
ITM Linde: With interest levels rising in green hydrogen and increasing enquiries for larger scale products and solutions, it became apparent that industrial customers were looking for a complete package, from feasibility studies through to product, maintenance and remote operational support.
By partnering our two world class companies and our offerings, it allows for a complete solution to be provided, using the deep experience each partner has to offer.
GW: Why ITM Linde Electrolysis?
ITM Linde: The name reflects the identities of both partners and says what it does!
GW: Can you give a brief overview of the company?
ITM Linde: ITM Linde Electrolysis will be based in Dresden, Germany, which was chosen because colleagues there represent a broad spectrum of engineering expertise, covering many disciplines. The Dresden office has done numerous modularised and standardised projects. Many colleagues have extensive track records on carbon management and carbon utilisation. The manufacturing of products will be based at ITM Power in Sheffield, UK at the company’s new facility, which is the largest PEM Electrolyser factory in the world, capable of 1GW (1,000MW) of production per annum. The company will supply turnkey solutions for those companies seeking to incorporate green hydrogen into their production processes to reduce their carbon footprints. A very large market globally.
GW: Can you tell us about any projects you have planned already?
ITM Linde: The first step is to get up and running. Both companies, but especially Linde, have worldwide contacts and the second step is to build a tender pipeline. Announcements about our first projects will be made in due course.
Source: ITM Power
ITM Power electrolyser stacks
GW: Why is this joint venture so important?
ITM Linde: We feel it is important to offer industry all of the services from concept, feasibility, engineering studies, through to the deployment, servicing and remote control of a full system. By bringing all of these aspects under the same umbrella, the JV allows us combine ITM’s core competence with Linde’s expertise for industrial scale plant. ITM’s electrolysis know-how will be coupled with Linde’s complementary, proprietary technologies, both upstream and downstream from the electrolysis process. This allows us to offer our customers integrated solutions for capex and opex optimisation.
GW: Linde’s Andreas Rupieper (who we’re very excited to have speaking at our Summit in April) has been announced as MD. Why was he the right person to take on that role?
ITM Linde: Andreas has a vast knowledge of the gas industry around the world and knows Linde’s global footprint intimately which would take any outsider considerable time to understand. With Andreas, we’ll hit the ground running. Andreas has been working on hydrogen future technologies and carbon optimisation for over five years now in his role as Head of R&D. He is a well-known expert in hydrogen technologies and carbon management.