Protium, the leading UK-based green hydrogen energy company, has announced that it will deploy its first electrolyser in the UK, sourced from Enapter, the esteemed design and manufacturing brand who have produced the first scalable hydrogen AEM electrolyser.
Image Credit: Protium
Dubbed Project Pioneer, the project will see Protium deploy the Enapter Electrolyser 2.1 which will be the largest integrated Enapter electrolyser in the field in the UK. The deployment of the electrolyser will allow Protium to generate electrolytic hydrogen at scale in the UK, marking a significant step in the advancement of the country’s hydrogen industry. Protium’s new electrolyser will be installed at the Cardiff University’s newly established Hydrogen Propulsion Centre in South Wales. The hydrogen produced by this electrolyser will be used to support a variety of initiatives and projects, collaboratively with Cardiff University.
Enapter have established themselves as one of the most innovative pioneers in the industry, with the company winning HRH Prince William and the Royal Foundation’s ‘Fix our Climate’ 2021 Earthshot Prize – the initiative launched last year by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Sir David Attenborough – to reward organisations dedicated to climate action through project funding. Enapter were recognised recently for their game-changing hydrogen generating technology.
Christopher Jackson, CEO of Protium, comments on the development: “Our Pioneer unit shows Protium’s commitment towards supporting cutting edge technologies in the UK and our willingness to invest in key strategic areas such as Wales. After a year of enormous growth and success, we are delighted to be increasing our investment in Wales and harnessing innovative solutions, like Enapter’s electrolysers, to support our expanding projects, including our project with Budweiser UK at their Magor brewery in South Wales.”
Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, CEO of Enapter, said, “We are delighted to be supporting Protium and collaborating with them through our innovative electrolysis technology. Protium delivers incredible work in the UK and the entire team at Enapter are so thrilled we can support them as their business and project pipeline scales.”
For the UK to meet the Government’s 2050 net zero targets, green hydrogen will have a huge role to play and its role on a global scale is equally as significant for the broader energy transition. More recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the World Economic Forum evidenced this by launching a jointly developed series of roadmaps that aim to empower policymakers to prioritise support for green hydrogen and accelerate its deployment.
Equally, here in the UK, The Hydrogen Council has stated that if hydrogen is deployed at scale, to the point that it amounts to a fifth of total energy consumption by 2050, carbon emissions can be reduced by 6 billion tonnes annually. Therefore, projects deploying clean hydrogen such as this will be essential to the transition to a net zero energy system, helping to restrict climate change reductions to under 1.5 oC.
Developments such as Project Pioneer demonstrate this action being taken by innovation and impact-driven SMEs.
Also commenting on the development, Chief Operating Officer, Jack Eastwood, said: “Acquiring the Enapter technology is an incredibly exciting step forward for us at Protium. We are extremely excited to be in a position whereby we can deploy an Earthshot Prize winning technology and begin supplying our clients with electrolytic hydrogen; helping them to reduce their carbon emissions. It’s yet another exciting part of the Protium story.”
The company’s green hydrogen expertise and project capabilities have gone from strength to strength this year, following the recent announcement of the £2.65 m funding to decarbonise operations at Bruichladdich distillery, as well as a string of announcements demonstrating growth and impact – including their revolutionary project with Budweiser Brewing Group, their 40 GW flagship project in Teesside and their strategic partnership with Petrofac.