Neste has commissioned a multi-megawatt high-temperature electrolyzer (HTE) at its Rotterdam renewable products refinery, marking a major operational milestone for on-site renewable hydrogen production. The pilot — part of the MultiPLHY demonstration — uses HTE technology to produce hydrogen at higher efficiencies than conventional low-temperature systems by capturing process heat and leveraging higher operating temperatures.

For refineries, renewable hydrogen is a critical lever: it can replace a portion of fossil-derived (“gray”) hydrogen used in hydrotreating and hydrocracking, delivering immediate Scope 1 emissions reductions. High-temperature electrolyzers promise improved energy efficiency and potentially lower levelized cost of renewable H₂ when integrated with waste heat sources or industrial steam. Neste’s start-up demonstrates commercial viability in an industrial refining environment and offers a template for scaling hydrogen supply chains that feed into desulfurization, hydrotreating, and SAF production. The project also underscores synergies between refinery heat integration and electrolysis — a promising path to accelerate decarbonisation of hard-to-abate refining operations.