John Cockerill is one of 35 European companies selected within the framework of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) 'Hy2Tech' to participate in the development of a H₂ technology value chain in Europe. John Cockerill's project revolves around research and innovation dedicated to the design of a 5 MW, 1000 Nm³/hr alkaline electrolyzer at 30 bar and the industrialization of its large-scale production in Belgium and France. Through this green H₂ production technology, John Cockerill is contributing to the decarbonization of energy, industry and transport in Europe, and to the fight against climate change.

John Cockerill's ambition is to develop an electrolyzer production capacity of 1 GW by 2030. This ambition entails, on the one hand, developing large-capacity alkaline electrolyzers (from 5 MW, 1000 Nm³/h at 30 initially, then 10MW and up to 20MW in the long term by increasing the diameter of the cells and/or increasing the current density), and on the other hand, starting up a large-scale electrolyzer production chain in Europe: by 2030, a capacity of 1 GW. This industry will be based on mainly French and exclusively European solutions (intellectual property, technologies, production, etc.) and will be located near the major industrial regions of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.

John Cockerill's project will have a significant impact on employment in France (in the Grand Est region) and in Belgium, with the creation of around 350 direct jobs at term, to which could be added a thousand indirect jobs generated by the ecosystem of this new sector.

John Cockerill supplies 1/3 of the alkaline electrolyzers of the world market. In 2021, it installed 151 MW of the 458 MW of the world market, i.e. a 33% market share. Its turnover for this technology increased threefold in 2021, and it has booked orders for a record cumulative total capacity of 190 MW. John Cockerill is rolling out several cooperation actions within the European H₂ industry: participation in the work of France Hydrogène and the Hyve consortium (Belgium) and development of trail-blazing projects (Columbus with Carmeuse and ENGIE, Hyoffwind in Zeebrugge with BESIX, HaYrport with Liege Airport, Ecomobilité in Metz with Metz Métropole and UEM).