2 hydrogen start-ups win big company backing

Two European start-ups pursuing green hydrogen have won backing from large industrial partners. The British firm ITM Power has received $46 million from the industrial gas producer Linde as part of planned fundraising of at least $63 million. ITM produces polymer electrolyte membrane–based electrolyzers that can run on renewable energy. As part of the investment, ITM is forming a joint venture with Linde to provide hydrogen to customers in the refining market. It’s also moving to new facilities in Sheffield, England, where it intends to open the world’s largest polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer plant. Meanwhile, Germany’s Sunfire has signed a deal to supply one of its high-temperature electrolyzers to the French oil company Total for use in a carbon-capture project. The goal is to convert CO₂ captured from a Total refinery in Germany and react it with green hydrogen made with Sunfire’s electrolyzers to produce methanol.