Germany – As part of the “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI), Sunfire is the only German manufacturer of large-scale electrolyzers to get the €169 million funding.
The award announcement was personally delivered by Saxony’s Minister for Economic Affairs Martin Dulig and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck.
Sunfire will set up its first industrial series manufacturing of its electrolysis technology with the help of the grant money. In order to produce green hydrogen, the industry need electrolyzers. In order to establish industrial series manufacturing of its technologies and validate them in Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, Sunfire is spending over 400 million euros.
IPCEI program
The provider of electrolysis will get a total of 169 million euros through the EU’s IPCEI program (162 million euros for establishing series manufacturing in Saxony; 7 million euros for North Rhine-Westphalia).
IPCEI initiatives are those of exceptional European importance that, via government finance, significantly improve the competitiveness, growth, and employment of the European economy. 30% of the money comes from the corresponding German states, with 70% coming from the federal government.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) approved Sunfire’s request for an early start of action in the summer of 2022. The Dresden-based company then invested at its own risk, especially in the area of pressurized alkaline technology, which is already being implemented for clients like RWE and Uniper, in order to not waste any time. Even though Sunfire celebrated the beginning of this technology’s series production as early as March 2023, industrial production of the ground-breaking high-temperature electrolyzers (SOEC), which reach exceptionally high efficiencies, is already gaining momentum.
