Cheaper and cheaper-the ALK electrolyzer price trend in China
On July 16, CHN Energy Investment Group (CHN Energy) released the bidding result for its 13,000Nm3/hr ALK electrolysis system which is the core equipment of a 50,000 ton per annum green ammonia production project located in Cangzhou, Hebei province.
The result is jaw-dropping as both two preliminary winners, CRRC Zhuzhou Institute and Sungrow, provided the price at least 28% cheaper than the prevailing ALK electrolyzer price in 1H2024 in China domestic market.
CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CRRC Zhuzhou Institute), formerly known as the Zhuzhou Electrical Locomotive Research Institute affiliated to the Ministry of Railways, was established in 1959 and is currently a subsidiary solely held by the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.
The CRRC Zhuzhou Institute is operating in eight industrial sectors, comprising rail transit, new materials, new energy equipment, power electronic devices, electric drive systems for automobiles, industrial electric equipment, deep-sea equipment and intelligent rail transport systems. The company debut its 1000Nm3/hr ALK electrolyzer in 2022 and it now has 1GW per annum manufacturing capacity.
Photo: the 1000Nm3/hr ALK electrolyzer, produced by CRRC Zhuzhou Institute
Photo: 1000Nm3/hr ALK electrolysis testing platform of CRRC Zhuzhou Institute
Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. (“Sungrow”) is the world’s most famous inverter brand with over 405GW installed worldwide as of June 2023. Founded in 1997 by Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications. Sungrow became a public company on China A share market from 2011.
Sungrow entered electrolyser business in 2019 and now it has capability to produce both ALK and PEM electrolysers. Currently, its major products include 500Nm3/hr and 1000Nm3/hr ALK electrolysers and 200Nm3/hr and 500Nm3/hr PEM electrolysers. Currently, Sungrow has 3GW manufacturing capacity for electrolyzers in Hefei, Anhui province.
The bidding price of CRRC Zhuzhou Institute for a 1000Nm3/hr ALK electrolysis system is