Clean hydrogen producer HiiROC, has partnered with technology company Siemens on its hydrogen production technology, helping customers to decarbonise their operations and support their Net Zero ambitions.

Under the agreement, HiiROC will leverage Siemens’ control technology and factory and automation expertise to ensure the safe, efficient automation of hydrogen production and support in scaling.

HiiROC’s proprietary Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE) technology is designed to meet rising demand for low-cost, scalable solutions for clean hydrogen production at the point of use, which helps to significantly reduce costs by removing the need for specialised storage and transportation.

The TPE process disassembles gaseous hydrocarbons into hydrogen and solid carbon without creating carbon dioxide. This highly efficient process, recognised under the UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard, requires only a fifth of the electricity of water electrolysis.

As a key technology partner, Siemens will collaborate with HiiROC to advance product development, while its global developer support community will help in achieving the hydrogen producer’s international expansion goals. Siemens, which has ambitious commitments to decrease carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable society, works with organisations across sectors to decarbonise using technology.

Mike Plant, Head of Engineering at HiiROC, said: “Partnering with Siemens has allowed us access to a wide product range of solutions for the hazardous and demanding environment we operate. Not only that but the support and industry leading knowledge Siemens has been able to provide on topics such as cybersecurity and software development is crucial to the product development and future upscale and production of our technology, which ultimately makes hydrogen an economically sustainable fuel source for millions of businesses worldwide.” 

Andy Lane, senior commercial manager at Siemens, added: “The costs to transport and store hydrogen remains prohibitively expensive for businesses to make the switch at scale. The UK is also many years away from having an expansive hydrogen pipeline network for industry to tap into, despite positive early progress in its development.

“Powered by Siemens technology, HiiROC’s compact, low-carbon, low-cost solution to producing hydrogen at the point of use is a game-changer for the energy transition. They’ll enable many fuel-hungry businesses to meet their decarbonisation targets.

“No single organisation can deliver Net Zero alone. And we’re proud to work alongside like-minded innovators like HiiROC to tackle the energy transition – one of society’s biggest challenges.”

HiiROC’s versatile technology supports decarbonisation across a wide range of industries, including traditional applications in refining and chemical production, as well as emerging applications in industrial decarbonisation, energy management and transportation.

The company is actively demonstrating the potential of TPE through projects and partnerships across the hydrogen value chain with partners Centrica and Cemex.