Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), South Africa’s Sasol, engineering heavyweight Wood, along with multinational conglomerate Honeywell are the latest companies to become steering members of the Hydrogen Council.
It comes as the Hydrogen Council also unveiled eight new supporting members, including Indian Oil Corporation, as well as two new investors — Barclays and FiveT Hydrogen.
The Hydrogen Council is a grouping of more than 120 companies from across the hydrogen value chain — including energy majors, technology providers, private equity firms and car manufacturers — aiming to ensure hydrogen plays a key role in the energy transition. It also includes oil and gas heavyweights such as Shell, BP, Equinor, Saudi Aramco, among others, as its current members.
“We are delighted to welcome new members to the Hydrogen Council, coming from a wide range of geographies and sectors,” said Benoit Potier, Air Liquide chief executive and co-chair of the Hydrogen Council.
“Their joining confirms that the interest in hydrogen is coming from across many sectors of the economy, and is turning into a priority for actors committed to energy transition. I look forward to working alongside Cummins as new Co-chair to foster dialogue and collaboration in order to accelerate the development of a low carbon economy.”
The Hydrogen Council also revealed a change in leadership this week, with Tom Linebarger, the chief executive of steering member Cummins, joining Potier as co-chair of the council
Hydrogen to underpin 'low-carbon revolution'
In a separate statement, vice president of hydrogen at Wood, Josh Carmichael, said membership to the hydrogen council was an important part of the company’s strategy to collaborate with “like-minded” partners, as well as drive new technology and solutions.
“Wood’s world-leading process technology experts have supplied hydrogen production units, based on steam reforming processes, for more than 60 years,” he said on Tuesday.
“We also have expertise in renewable power and carbon capture and storage, to produce green and blue hydrogen, and new technologies in bio hydrogen. We are committed to the ongoing development of our proprietary hydrogen technology by improving its efficiency and integration with carbon capture and storage.”
Wood chief executive Robin Watson added: “At Wood, we have a long track record of delivering hydrogen projects at an industrial and commercial scale and it will be an even bigger part of our future.
“If carbon drove the industrial revolution, then hydrogen will underpin the low-carbon revolution we need as we aspire to shape a net-zero future.”
Wood teamed up with Norway's NEL Hydrogen earlier this year under a three-year framework agreement to target green hydrogen projects across the globe.
Adnoc’s membership comes as the state-run giant has recently been looking to expand its hydrogen business, announcing earlier this month it was teaming up with a consortium of Japanese companies to explore the feasibility of producing blue ammonia in the UAE.
It also targeting a final investment decision next year on a blue ammonia project at the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone in Ruwais, with a capacity to produce up to 1 million tonnes per annum of blue ammonia.
Sasol has also been making its own inroads into hydrogen, earlier this month partnering with the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa with the aim of developing a green hydrogen economy in South Africa.
