Thyssenkrupp Nucera said on 6 October 2026 that it will build its first company-operated electrolyser cell assembly hub at VGP Park in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, south of Porto, with cell assembly due to start in 2028.
The German electrolyser maker has signed the lease agreement for the more than 7,500-square-meter building and will invest between €10 million and €14 million in the project, according to the company. The Portuguese government is contributing roughly €3.7 million through its COMPETE2030 programme, the company said.
What is changing
Until now, cell elements for Thyssenkrupp Nucera’s scalum alkaline water electrolysis units have been put together in decentralised workshops run by customers, then shipped to project sites. To date, the cell elements for scalum, the standardized 20-megawatt unit for alkaline water electrolysis, are assembled in decentralized workshops operated by customers, then installed at the project site. The company says that manual, scattered assembly slows delivery.
The new site centralises that step under Thyssenkrupp Nucera’s own control for the first time. The Assembly Hub will enable faster and more efficient cell assembly while significantly increasing capacity, and initially, cells for alkaline water electrolysis will be assembled there. Gasworld reports that the facility would be able to process “multiple cells” in parallel to reduce throughput times, but did not confirm the facility’s nameplate capacity.
CEO Werner Ponikwar framed the move as both an operational and strategic step. “For us, the Assembly Hub is a milestone in automation and assembly efficiency,” he said. “By centralizing and semi-automating cell assembly, we are increasing our capacity and closely integrating assembly and service. The investment in the Assembly Hub is also a clear commitment to Europe as an industrial location and a further contribution to strengthening the European hydrogen economy.”
First customer named
Construction is set to begin this winter, with an assembly line installed once the building is complete. Plans call for the hub to begin assembling cells for Moeve’s 300MW Onuba project in 2028. Moeve, the Madrid-based energy company formerly known as Cepsa, has not been named by Thyssenkrupp Nucera as the only future customer; the firm says the hub will serve electrolysis projects across Europe and neighboring regions.
For customers, the pitch is fewer upfront obligations. Thyssenkrupp Nucera’s press materials state that the Assembly Hub simplifies cell assembly for customers, who no longer require their own assembly infrastructure, reducing their planning, personnel, and resource requirements.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company | Thyssenkrupp Nucera AG & Co. KGaA |
| Location | VGP Park, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal (south of Porto) |
| Investment | €10m to €14m, company-funded; plus ~€3.7m from Portugal’s COMPETE2030 programme |
| Site size | Over 7,500 square metres |
| Status | Lease signed; construction to begin winter 2026; cell assembly to start 2028 |
| First customer | Moeve, 300 MW Onuba project (Spain) |
Why it matters
Electrolyser makers across Europe have faced pressure to show they can cut costs and delivery times as green hydrogen project pipelines have slowed from earlier targets. A centralised, semi-automated assembly line is Thyssenkrupp Nucera’s answer to criticism that manual, workshop-by-workshop production is slow and inconsistent. The Portuguese government’s co-funding also signals continued state interest in anchoring electrolyser supply chain jobs in the EU, even as several hydrogen projects elsewhere have been delayed or cancelled.
What to watch
Watch for confirmation of the hub’s nameplate throughput once construction is under way, and for additional customers to be named alongside Moeve’s Onuba project ahead of the 2028 start date.
Sources
- Source: thyssenkrupp nucera: News & Press Releases
- Source: thyssenkrupp nucera Establishes Its First Company-Operated Electrolyzer Cell Assembly Hub in Europe
- Source: Nucera targets faster electrolyser delivery with Portugal cell assembly hub
- Source: thyssenkrupp nucera Sets Up Its First Electrolyzer Cell Assembly Hub in Portugal
- Source: Thyssenkrupp nucera to open central electrolyzer cell assembly hub in Portugal