The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Hydrasun’ s major push on hydrogen
Hydrasun has unveiled a major drive on hydrogen technology, with a clutch of initiatives including the launch of a new skills academy, a recruitment push and a new acquisition on the way.
The firm has also signed an agreement with Japanese tech giant Panasonic on a potential demonstration project for industrial building decarbonisation at Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone (ETZ).
CEO Bob Drummond said that north-east headquartered Hydrasun is expected to make a new acquisition in the coming weeks that will “immediately more than double” its sales from lowcarbon technology.
Hydrogen turnover is already projected to be £5-6 million in 2022 for the firm, up from £2m last year. Meanwhile, Hydrasun’s projection for overall business growth is at least 25% this year, with an estimated turnover of £90-£100m.
Details of the acquisition are under wraps, but Mr Drummond said the move will bolster its position in the green hydrogen transport space, if successful.
Hydrasun is also planning to open a purposebuilt skills academy at its headquarters in Aberdeen’s Gateway Business Park in September.
The facility aims to have “the best hydrogen safety course in the world”.
First priorities for the opening courses – designed for customer employees and Hydrasun’s own team making a skills transition – include hydrogen safety, pressure testing and systems assembly, followed by control systems.
It adds to new sites and equipment in Glasgow and Aviemore this year, which, backed up by £500,000 of Scottish Enterprise funding, represents well in excess of £1m investment.
The firm is also planning new facilities in Teesside and Rotterdam, bolstering the hopper of projects, and is evaluating opportunities for a facility in Germany.
Mr Drummond noted this comes almost exactly a year since private equity group SCF Partners came in as a backer.
This, coupled with the improved dynamics in the oil and gas industry, has allowed the board to “position the company in much more of a positive offensive position, rather than a prudent defensive position”, as many supply chain firms have had to do coming out of the downturn.
Hydrasun launched its hydrogen division six years ago and has since then delivered about 30 projects, almost all of which involve green hydrogen linked to transport and mobility.
That includes the first production, storage and refuelling system for a public transport company in France.
As that work ramps up, the firm is in “a really intense period of recruitment, with employee numbers up by 40 since last year”.
This includes engineers, apprentices and graduate trainees, with 17 vacancies currently open, more than half of which are hydrogen-related.
Hydrasun employs 436 people, with 351 in Scotland including 244 in its home base of Aberdeen.
Mr Drummond is bullish about the potential for north-east Scotland in the space.
He said: “I think that we really do have an opportunity to be a global leader in hydrogen.”
Activity such as the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub, the ERM Dolphyn project, Vattenfall HT1, the ETZ and Acorn CCS is drawing international attention, said Mr Drummond.
“I’ll use that MoU with Panasonic as one example of that,” he said, referring to the agreement signed with the Japanese giant in recent weeks.
“The name Panasonic is obviously a phenomenally recognised and respected global company, and for them to be looking at Aberdeen as a key target area for the pilot demonstration of their new fuel cell range – I think that in itself is a really powerful signal.”