ABB and Hydrogen Optimized Inc (HOI), the Canada-based technology innovator unlocking green hydrogen production at scale, have signed an agreement to expand the companies’ existing strategic relationship.

This includes an investment by ABB into Key DH Technologies Inc (KEY), the parent company of HOI, as it seeks to accelerate the fast-emerging green hydrogen production segment with unique large-scale architecture.

The signing follows the two companies’ showcase of their green hydrogen technologies at the August 23, 2022, German-Canadian Atlantic Renewable Hydrogen Expo in Stephenville, Newfoundland.

By accelerating the strategic collaboration between ABB and HOI launched in 2020, the two companies are advancing the deployment of economic large-scale green hydrogen production systems to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries that address a wide range of essential needs – energy, metals, cement, utilities, ammonia, fertilisers and fuels for aircraft, ships, trucks and rail, ABB says.

The companies will leverage their respective capabilities and resources to rapidly commercialise HOI’s patented RuggedCell™ high-power water electrolysis technology for the world’s largest green hydrogen plants. Water electrolysis is the process of applying electrical energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. RuggedCell technology converts renewable electricity such as hydro, solar and wind power into green hydrogen for industry.

“We look forward to building on our companies’ two-year working relationship to pursue the enormous global opportunity of green hydrogen,” Joachim Braun, Division President, ABB Process Industries (pictured on the left), said. “Following a rigorous validation of the RuggedCell technology, we are confident that, in combination with ABB’s high-power rectifiers, it can become a category leader in the large-scale green hydrogen segment. Our complementary technologies will strengthen the Hydrogen Optimized value proposition and fast-track the commercialisation of the RuggedCell.”

Andrew T.B. Stuart, President and CEO of KEY and HOI (pictured on the right), said: “This agreement positions us for success in the large-scale segment with customers requiring installations in the hundreds of megawatts to multi-gigawatts. ABB’s global footprint, commercial relationships and technology leadership in high-power rectifiers, distributed control systems and manufacturing automation provide us with the market reach and capabilities to achieve our company’s goals.”

The proceeds of ABB’s investment into KEY, led by ABB Technology Ventures, will be used to advance HOI’s intellectual property development, build up corporate capabilities for increased business activity and introduce automated manufacturing and robotics, ABB says. This will accelerate the rollout of gigawatt-scale electrolyser manufacturing.