The Belgian firm John Cockerill claims a third of the global market share in this industry, with 215 MW of electrolyzers supplied in 2021 and a three-fold increase in hydrogen income. In France, he is planning to establish his first gigafactory.
In 2021, the Belgian company John Cockerill made a name for itself in China by delivering the “Baofeng” projects, which include the world’s largest photovoltaic-hydrogen power plant in north-west China, with 110 MW of electrolyzers supplied by John Cockerill (22 stacks of 5 MW), as well as a 6 MW electrolyzer supplied to supply hydrogen buses for the Beijing Olympic Games. The business has also completed the purchase of 100% of “Cockerill Jingli Hydrogen” in China (previously held at 56 percent ). As a result, the group is strengthening its position in this nation, where the market is rapidly growing and has achieved a point of financial balance. It’s also in a great location for exporting to Southeast Asia and Australia.
In India, John Cockerill has inked an exclusive cooperation deal with Greenko, the country’s leading renewable energy company, to form a joint venture to speed the deployment of the green hydrogen ecosystem and develop an electrolyzer manufacturing unit to service the local market. Similar alliances are also being discussed in other parts of the world.
A gigafactory in France and Belgium
In Europe, work on a 100 percent European production line for electrolyzers and hydrogen equipment is going as expected, with two locations set to open in 2023: electrolyzer component manufacturing in Aspach-Michelbach (Alsace, France) and stack assembly in Seraing (Wallonia, Belgium, group headquarters).
The HyOffWind consortium (Colruyt Group and Fluxys) has signed a deal with Besix, a partner of John Cockerill, to develop and build a turnkey 25 MW green hydrogen production plant in Zeebrugge, Belgium, the first significant order for the sale of 30 MW of electrolyzers in Europe. Another agreement has been reached with a large oil and gas company in Southern Europe.
The company is also working on hydrogen refueling systems, with a first trial project set to start in Seraing later this year. Several projects have been obtained, including the HaYrport project with Liege Airport (Belgium), which intends to establish an infrastructure for the generation and distribution of green hydrogen to serve hydrogen cars within the airport (buses, trucks, and vehicles light). In addition, the Eurometropolis of Metz and UEM (the local gas and electricity distribution business) announced a collaboration to convert a fleet of buses to hydrogen. John Cockerill has also been chosen for a number of additional hydrogen transportation projects in France and Belgium.
Collaborations in research and development
Finally, strategic alliances have been formed with prominent players from throughout the world. The Group is working on the Columbus project with Engie and Carmeuse, which intends to absorb CO 2 emissions and convert them into e-methane using green hydrogen. The group is also participating in the “Hyve” research initiative, which is creating the next generation of electrolysis technology, alongside its partners Imec, Vito, Bekaert, Colruyt Group, and Deme.
In 2021, the company sold 215 MW of electrolyzers, more than tripling its hydrogen income from 2020. Its hydrogen teams currently employ over 260 people throughout the world, including 70 in Belgium and France in 2021. The Group’s 5,000 workers helped it generate a revenue of 1.01 billion euros in 22 countries across five continents in 2020. “We are ecstatic with these fantastic achievements,” says Raphael Tilot, head of John Cockerill’s Hydrogen and Renewables efforts. […] To help even more businesses make the switch to clean energy, we’re aggressively expanding our manufacturing capacity throughout the world and forming strategic relationships with industry leaders.”
