Metacon and Siemens forge hydrogen technology partnership

Swedish manufacturer of energy systems for green hydrogen production Metacon and German technology company Siemens have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enter a partnership to accelerate the manufacturing of hydrogen production systems in Sweden for the European market.

Under the MoU, Siemens will become a technology partner to Metacon to contribute with its experience in delivering products, solutions and services in automation, power distribution, electrification, instrumentation, building technology and drives, Metacon revealed, adding that Siemens will also be able to contribute with the range of digital services and software for optimization, standardization and simulation during both the manufacturing and operational phases of hydrogen plants.

Christer Wikner, CEO and President of Metacon, stated: “Metacon has big plans for the investment in the manufacture and sale of large-scale electrolysis plants to, among others, the basic industry, the wind power sector and the transport sector in Europe. I have a hard time imagining a better partner on such a journey than Siemens. With its world-leading portfolio of technology, expertise and long-standing experience of similar projects, this partnership gives us the opportunity to both accelerate and optimize central parts of our unique Gigafactory project.“

Mikael Kraft, Head of Factory Automation and Sales at Siemens Digital Industries, commented: “Hydrogen is an important piece of the puzzle in the industrial, energy and transport sectors to become CO2 neutral, and is the focus of Siemens’ global investment in Power-to-X. The partnership with Metacon marks a milestone in our quest to create a more sustainable world by, among other things, developing innovative solutions for the energy sector.”

To note, at the beginning of 2024, Metacon was granted exclusive rights for the manufacture of complete electrolysis plants based on the Chinese partner PERIC’s technology for pressurized alkaline electrolysis modules (stacks). Metacon explained that one of the key components of PERIC’s alkaline technology is 5 MW modules with over 10 years of operating data. The company also has access to the 10 MW module that PERIC recently launched.

“The rights apply to most European countries and mean that Metacon can start from a proven technology that has been developed and refined for over 60 years, and make the adaptations required to match the requirements for safety and automation found in European standards for hydrogen production. With the exclusive right, Metacon now aims to become one of the market leaders in Europe for this type of large-scale hydrogen plants,” Metacon said.

In late 2023, Metacon signed an MoU with PERIC Hydrogen Technologies to establish a strategic partnership for the production and sale of Metacon’s electrolyzers on the Chinese market. The planned partnership means that Metacon gives PERIC a so-called Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) license for the manufacture of Metacon’s hydrogen generators for the production of hydrogen from various non-electric energy sources such as biogas, ethanol, ammonia and more.