Great plans for Bekaert’s Grand Piano
While the European Hydrogen Bank auction is making headlines, did you know that the EU Innovation Fund also offers opportunities to finance your hydrogen project? For those looking to turn their hydrogen ambitions into reality, this could be another golden ticket!
Late last year, we announced that Bekaert's "GRAND PIANO" project had been selected for funding from the EU Innovation Fund. Over the past months, work has been underway behind the scenes to finalize the details of this grant. And now, it's official—Bekaert has secured 23,6 million EUR from the EU Innovation Fund 2023 call.
GRAND PIANO will drive product and process innovation for electrolysis stacks. Bekaert plans to establish an automated GW-scale production line for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) porous transport layers (PTL). They will also introduce a new technology to reduce iridium usage by 90% in PEM electrolyzers, making them more cost-competitive and less reliant on scarce resources.
Once implemented, GRAND PIANO could enable up to 39 GW of PEM and AEM technology deployment in a decade, preventing 11,7 million tons of CO₂ emissions in the early years. The final investment decision will depend on technology adoption and market developments.