First Hydrogen has engaged several international firms with expertise in renewable energy development, infrastructure construction, mergers and acquisitions, and fundraising to support its expansion in Europe.
First Hydrogen will initially establish an office in Germany, a country known for its expertise in precision, efficiency and advanced technology along with major auto manufacturing. This aligns with the company’s goal of adding its’ hydrogen-powered Fuel-Cell Light Commercial Vehicle to the hydrogen ecosystem.
In 2020, Germany declared a national hydrogen strategy and committed to sustainably producing green hydrogen as its main energy carrier of the future. In late 2023, Germany drafted new hydrogen legislation setting guidelines for a hydrogen highway that will span 9,700 kilometres utilizing existing natural gas infrastructure; this compares to the autobahn highways, which run 13,000 kilometres across Germany.
Currently, there are 17 hydrogen hubs, also known as Hydrogen Valleys, operational, under construction or in the planning stages in Germany. These Hydrogen Valleys consist of production, storage, end-use, and connective infrastructure to build and operate a fully functioning, regional clean hydrogen ecosystem along the hydrogen highway.
Developing a hydrogen economy is critical for Europe to reach its 2050 Net Zero target. The European Commission has approved four waves of hydrogen Integrated Projects of Common European Interest aiming to raise €43 billion to support more than 120 projects involving approximately 100 European companies. The projects cover the hydrogen ecosystem from production, import, transportation, and end-use.
Balraj Mann, Group CEO of First Hydrogen, commented: “Europe has shown a strong commitment to move away from their reliance on fossil fuels to clean hydrogen. Countries such as Germany have granted €4.6 billion in funding to hydrogen projects as part of the IPCEI protocol. First Hydrogen brings to Germany our hydrogen-powered-fuel-cell vehicles, we were first to the market with successful trials with various fleet operations in the UK. Additional developments will be announced in due course.”
First Hydrogen Corp. is a Vancouver, Montreal and London-based company focused on zero-emission vehicles, green hydrogen production and distribution. The company has designed and built two hydrogen fuel-cell-powered light commercial vehicles. The FCEVs are road-legal in the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) with 6,000 km of testing completed and have achieved a range of 630+ kilometres on a single refueling. The vehicles have successfully been trialled in real-world conditions with fleet operators in the United Kingdom. First Hydrogen is also developing a 35MW green hydrogen production facility and vehicle assembly factory in Shawinigan, Quebec.
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