The EMMA project, the result of the collaboration between the two companies, has received a grant of €1.1 million from the Spanish Government through the Strategic Recovery Programme for Renewable Energies, Renewable Hydrogen and Storage (ERHA) (PERTE), funded by EU Next Generation.
The total project budget, including partners’ funds, is €1.4 million. The collaboration will focus on the development and integration of high-performance components from Matteco, a global supplier of catalysts and electrodes for alkaline and AEM electrolysis, to develop a new generation of more durable and cost-efficient alkaline electrolyzers that produce green hydrogen at competitive costs.
The collaboration with Ariema will allow us to research and strengthen the potential of new electrode developments over a three-year period, both in intermediate cell sizes (25 cm diameter) and in the final sizes required by the green industry (1 m diameter).
Reducing the costs of green hydrogen production is the main lever for using this energy vector in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy industry, long-distance transport and surplus energy storage.
This introduction will also make it possible to more efficiently convert surplus energy generated during periods of high hydrogen production, contributing to stabilizing the power grid and ensuring a stable supply of renewable energy.
Iker Malcaide, co-founder and CEO of Matteco, said: “Our partnership with leading manufacturer Ariema shows how Matteco’s nanotechnology is accelerating the emergence of a new generation of alkaline electrolyzers, where our components are key to their performance and efficiency. This new advance strengthens our position as we approach the opening of our gigawatt factory in Valencia.”
Rafael Luque, Managing Director of Ariema, added: “We have high hopes for Matteco’s technology. They are a reliable partner that, thanks to Matteco, will enable us to move forward towards our goal of offering more efficient alkaline electrolysis units on a large scale and consolidating Ariema’s position as a reference in the field of alkaline electrolysis. Ariema is the first Spanish company with its own technology in this sector.”
The EMMA project is in line with the European Union’s Hydrogen Strategy goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and aims to deliver up to 40GW of renewable, green hydrogen electrolyzers by 2030. It also advances the agenda set by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for alkaline electrolysis by 2026.
