Solvay has announced that it will invest €5 million in the construction of a test fuel cell with a total electric power of 1 MW at the Solvin plant in Lillo, Antwerp, Belgium. The investment is part of the Project Hydrogen Region Flanders-South Netherlands. The fuel cell will convert hydrogen produced by electrolysis at Solvin's plant into electricity and by doing so increase the energy efficiency of the electrolysis. This proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell will demonstrate fuel cell technology can be scaled-up to a peak output of 1.7 MW and a generation of 1 MW at steady rate, by using Solvay's innovative special polymers and Solvicore's membrane electrode assemblies. The test fuel cell will also be used by WaterstofNet for research and test programs to support and promote the development of the use of hydrogen in the region.

In fuel cells hydrogen binds with oxygen into water in a catalytic reaction and this reaction produces electrical energy and heat. The PEM fuel cell will be made up of a large number of membrane electrode assemblies in special polymers and electrodes with platinum. These assemblies are manufactured by SolviCore in its plant in Hanau, Germany. SolviCore is a 50-50 joint venture of Solvay and Umicore and was incorporated in 2006. Dutch company NedStack will construct the fuel cell out of SolviCore's assemblies.

This project is realized in cooperation with WaterstofNet, which is coordinating the Project Hydrogen Region Flanders - South Netherlands. The Project Hydrogen Region Flanders-South Netherlands aims at developing knowhow and projects about hydrogen applications in the region with a clear focus on sustainable hydrogen and early market applications, such as maritime, logistical and interurban applications.

The Project Hydrogen Region, which began in 2009 and will run until 2012 with a total budget of €14 million, was approved by the Interreg Program Border Region Flanders-Netherlands and is financed by the EU, the Flemish government, the Dutch government and the industry. The Project Hydrogen Region will subsidize Solvay's budget of over €5 million for the test fuel cell by €1.5 million. This project is the first milestone in the Project Hydrogen Region Flanders-South Netherlands.