Recently, Schaeffler Group, a supplier of automobiles and industrial products, and Lhyfe, a French hydrogen production company, signed a letter of intent for cooperation in the production and procurement of green hydrogen. According to the letter of intent, Lhyfe will build and operate a hydrogen electrolysis plant with an installed capacity of 15 MW at Schaeffler’s plant in Herzogenaurach, Germany. From 2025 onwards, the plant will supply around 3.7 tons of green hydrogen per day to Schaeffler’s Herzogenaurach plant and other customers in the region.
By using green hydrogen, a renewable energy source, and using the waste heat from the hydrogen electrolysis plant to heat the Herzogenaurach plant facilities, Schaeffler expects this initiative to significantly reduce the company’s carbon emissions. In addition, the efficient hydrogen production plant will also be able to supply green hydrogen to other Schaeffler facilities as well as potential customers in other regions, such as municipalities and hydrogen refueling stations. In addition to green hydrogen procurement, the two parties also intend to establish cooperation in technology to promote the application of Schaeffler electrolytic reactors.
Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer of the Schaeffler Group: “Replacing traditional fossil fuels with renewable energies is crucial for Schaeffler’s goal of climate neutrality in production areas by 2030. Lhyfe is an innovative cooperation partner to meet the long-term demand for green hydrogen at our plant in Herzogenaurach. This agreement underscores Schaeffler’s strategic commitment to sustainable development and hydrogen technology.”
Luc Graré, head of Lhyfe’s business in Central and Eastern Europe, said: “We are honored to be able to cooperate with such a large enterprise as the Schaeffler Group to support its goal of climate neutral production in 2030. Achieving a rapid supply of green hydrogen remains a challenge. It is a daunting task. A large-scale project such as Schaeffler’s has shown that the technology has reached a certain level of maturity, which contributes to the market’s confidence and sense of security, and increases the willingness to invest.”
Electrolyzers for large-scale hydrogen production
Hydrogen energy technology is one of the strategic business areas of the Schaeffler Group and an important part of the Group’s 2025 strategic plan. According to the cooperation letter of intent, the two parties also intend to establish a technical partnership, and Schaeffler will provide polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolytic stacks. The electrolytic stack consists of multiple metal bipolar plates stacked on top of each other to form a stack. In each stack, water (H2O) is decomposed and reduced to two basic components, oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2), by electrically stimulating chemical reactions.
Florian Windisch, Head of the Hydrogen Strategy Business Unit of the Schaeffler Group Industrial Division, said: “The Schaeffler electrolytic reactor is an ideal choice for distributed hydrogen production technology. In the technical cooperation with Lhyfe, we will contribute to Schaeffler’s contribution to this Schaeffler Group CEO Klaus Rosenfeld added: “This partnership demonstrates that Schaeffler has already is the partner of choice for innovative water electrolysis equipment solutions. Schaeffler has chosen the right development direction in the field of hydrogen energy. This partnership will not only support our electrolysis hydrogen production and fuel cell business, but will also provide our Supporting the newly established Hydrogen Technology Center in Herzogenaurach. We are particularly pleased that we have secured a new partner following the joint venture with Symbio. Together with them, we will Promote the development of hydrogen energy in Europe.”
