Houston's fast-growing hydrogen industry could get boost with addition of equipment manufacturer

Mar. 22—Norway-based electrolyzer manufacturer HydrogenPro plans to bring a production facility to Texas, where it aims to blaze a larger path for itself in the fast-growing green hydrogen business.

Electrolyzers are pieces of equipment that use electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen — items in high demand as companies race to develop facilities that can make hydrogen, which is picking up steam in Houston as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel. The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred hydrogen development in the U.S. and boosted demand for equipment such as electrolyzers.

Now, the U.S. is the company's "top priority."

"There's no doubt there's a lot of momentum in the U.S. now around green hydrogen," HydrogenPro CEO Tarjei Johansen said.

The company plans to invest up to $50 million on the Texas facility, which it aims to launch within the next year. The facility is expected to be able to manufacture machinery capable of producing 500 megawatts of hydrogen per year — with the option to scale up — and would specialize in high-pressure alkaline electrolyzers.

"This is the technology that we have decided we will specialize in," Johansen said, "because we feel like this is the best solution for making green hydrogen."

To get the facility up and running more quickly, the company plans to redevelop an existing industrial facility rather than develop a new one. Asked whether the facility is likely to come to Houston, Johansen said "the chances are a lot bigger than slim," citing its access to the port and to rail.

amanda.drane@houstonchronicle.com

___

(c)2023 the Houston Chronicle

Visit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.