23-06-2022

MHI Invests in electric hydrogen, a U.S. startup, to accelerate efforts to produce clean hydrogen at scale

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that it has invested in Electric Hydrogen, a clean hydrogen startup headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, to support its efforts in developing cost-competitive, fossil-free hydrogen. Through this investment, MHI aims to strengthen and diversify its hydrogen value chain, advance its energy transition business, and act on its commitment toward global carbon neutrality goals. The investment has been executed through Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA), which joins a consortium of investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Equinor, Amazon, Honeywell, and Rio Tinto.

EH2’s patented approach to electrolysis — the process of producing hydrogen from electricity and water —is specially designed for the high-volume, low-cost production required to support massive industrial operations, which could significantly improve the levelised cost of hydrogen.

This investment will support the scale-up of EH2’s high electrolyser technology and its use in the manufacturing, and deployment of pilot projects to produce fossil-free hydrogen (also known as “green hydrogen”) at large scale for industrial and infrastructure applications.

Industries not amenable to electrification, such as steel, fertiliser and intercontinental energy transport, account for more than a third of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to EH2. Hydrogen, when produced in places with abundant and clean electricity, is a promising pathway for decarbonising these industries.

MHI is working to build a hydrogen value chain through its proprietary technologies, plus investment and collaboration with companies such as EH2.