14 December 2021

Nobian and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) are joining forces to form a leading industrial green hydrogen player, the Hydrogen Chemistry Company (HyCC). HyCC will provide safe, reliable, and affordable green hydrogen solutions to help decarbonize large industries such as aviation, steel, chemicals and refineries.

Through this partnership, the companies are taking a unique step by creating a company that is specialized in water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen from renewable power at an industrial scale. With Nobian’s experience in large-scale electrolysis and GIG’s resources and project development experience, HyCC will be able to accelerate investments and the development of more large-scale projects.

HyCC will launch with a purpose-built team of hydrogen specialist spanning expertise across technology, manufacturing, project management and commercial development as well as a pipeline of more than 400 megawatt of electrolysis projects. This includes a planned 60 megawatt facility in the north of the Netherlands to supply green hydrogen for renewable methanol and aviation fuels, a 100 megawatt project near Amsterdam to enable sustainable steel production, and a 250 megawatt project in Rotterdam to replace fossil-based hydrogen. The deal will allow HyCC to grow this pipeline and expand further into the European market.

Nobian, GIG and HyCC
Kate Vidgen, Head of Industrial Transition and Clean Fuels at Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, said: “Green hydrogen is vital to reduce emissions in a wide range of industries that are traditionally difficult to decarbonize – from steel and chemicals to shipping and aviation. We expect a rapid acceleration in the energy transition and are excited to invest alongside an experienced business in this field, to accelerate its development and help industries become more sustainable.”

Michael Koenig, CEO of Nobian: “We are truly excited about this unique step for both Nobian and GIG. With our leading and long-standing expertise in large scale electrochemistry we are able to invest in an exciting and developing hydrogen market. Through this we will contribute to lower CO2 emissions and sustainable economic growth, whilst also driving value creation.”

Marcel Galjee, Managing Director of HyCC: “We have a strong technical and commercial team and a healthy pipeline of large green hydrogen projects. The backing of these two leading companies allows us to further scale-up our portfolio to become a leader in the safe and reliable supply of green hydrogen and make a critical contribution to the EU’s target of realizing 40 gigawatt of hydrogen electrolyzers by 2030”.

Closing of the deal
GIG and Nobian will each have a 50% share in HyCC, and the deal is expected to close in March 2022 (subject to regulatory approvals).

Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen is made by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen with electricity from renewable sources, in a process called water electrolysis. Producing or burning green hydrogen does not result in any carbon emissions and the hydrogen can be used to replace fossil fuels or for new circular forms of production. For example, it can be combined with CO and CO2from industrial processes to make fuels and raw materials for the chemical industry.

GIG has already announced hydrogen partnerships in a number of different geographies with a focus on supporting the industrial transition and the move to cleaner fuels. Nobian already operates multiple large-scales electrolysis facilities in the Netherlands and Germany for the production of chlor-alkali, using a technology similar to that of water electrolysis.

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About Nobian
Nobian is a European leader in the production of essential bulk chemicals for industries ranging from construction and transport to pharmaceuticals and water treatment. We excel in the safe and reliable supply of high-purity salt, chlor-alkali and chloromethanes, thanks to our integrated value chain with modern production sites in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Going back to the first salt production in 1917, our 1,800 employees continue to innovate every day to become safer, more efficient and sustainable and ensure the essential products of today will still enrich our lives tomorrow. Nobian is headquartered in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

About Green Investment Group
Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) is a specialist in green infrastructure principal investment, project development and delivery, green impact advisory and the management of portfolio assets. Its track record, expertise and capability make it a global leader in green investment and development, dedicated to accelerating the green transition.

Initially launched by the UK Government in 2012 as the Green Investment Bank, it was the first institution of its type in the world. It was purchased by Macquarie in 2017 to create one of the world’s largest teams of specialist green infrastructure developers and investors. Now operating as the Green Investment Group, the business and its operating platforms have investments or operations in over 25 markets, more than 450 staff and a global development pipeline of more than 35 GW.

In November 2021, it was announced that GIG will move to operate as part of Macquarie Asset Management (MAM). The combined teams will significantly enhance Macquarie’s offering to clients, partners and other stakeholders through the ability to mobilise institutional capital at scale, connecting MAM clients to a significantly expanded range of green investment opportunities through GIG’s asset creation team.

Macquarie Group Limited (Macquarie) is a diversified financial group providing clients with asset management and finance, banking, advisory and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity and commodities. Founded in 1969, Macquarie employs 17,209 people in 33 markets. At 30 September 2021, Macquarie had assets under management of £395.4 billion.

For more information, visit greeninvestmentgroup.com and macquarie.com

About HyCC
HyCC is a leading industrial partner for safe and reliable green hydrogen supplies and circular chemistry solutions to enable the transition to zero-carbon industry. Building on over 100 years of experience in electrolysis and our leadership in safety, we realize pioneering water electrolysis projects to supply industries with zero-carbon hydrogen from renewable power and water. From making sustainable steel to circular jet fuels – we believe that green hydrogen is the key to providing a growing population with essential products, with zero emissions to realize more sustainable economic development.