EU green hydrogen chemicals research project orders US AEM tech

US-based AEM electrolyser start-up Power to Hydrogen (P2H2) has secured a binding order for a 0.5MW system for an EU-funded project aimed at commercialising the production of clean acetone.

The unit, ordered by Norwegian research institute Sintef, will be installed in Tiller, Norway, later this year to produce green hydrogen, which will be combined with captured carbon dioxide (CO2) via a thermophilic microbial conversion process.

Launched in 2021, the PyroCO2 project has received €40m ($47m) in EU funding to decarbonise production of acetone – a chemical widely used as an industrial solvent and feedstock in paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and cleaning agents.

It marks one of the first commercial orders for P2H2’s technology, which it describes as a hybrid between AEM and alkaline technologies. No commercial details of the order have been revealed.

In late 2025, the firm a €900,000 ($1m) EU Regional Development Fund Grant to support installing its technology at a project in Antwerp, Belgium, a deployment that it says is nearing completion.

Sintef’s Chief Scientist, Alexander Wentzel, said electrolyser cost, efficiency, and flexibility were to demonstrate the production of clean chemicals.

While many chemicals already rely on fossil-based hydrogen sources, the use of green hydrogen faces cost barriers in various segments.

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) previously told H2 View that higher-margin segments like pharmaceuticals could be more willing to pay for clean molecules, but commodity segments may face a .

“It’s difficult to explain to your B2B customers that they should pay more, especially when they struggle to visibly pass on any climate benefit to their customers,” Cefic Senior Energy Manager Nickolai Romanowski said.

However, there are some proof points. In 2025, German chemicals major started operating a at its Ludwigshafen facility to replace up to 8,000 tonnes of grey hydrogen across the chemicals complex.