Jera—a joint venture between Japanese utilities Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power—has invested €15mn ($17.7mn) in hydrogen transportation firm Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies.

Hydrogenious has been developing a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology, which is seen as one of the best solutions for shipping hydrogen internationally.

Making an LOHC involves attaching hydrogen to carrier molecules and then re-extracting pure hydrogen at the destination. LOHCs are similar to oil products and can be carried on product tankers, meaning they can utilise an existing pool of vessels. Conversion to and reconversion from an LOHC uses 35-45pc of the energy in the hydrogen itself.

For distances over 1,500km, analysis by the IEA shows LOHC and ammonia transport by ship are the cheapest options for moving hydrogen and are broadly equivalent in their costs.

“There is a strong conviction in the competitive positioning of our LOHC compared with other hydrogen carriers such as liquid hydrogen, compressed hydrogen and ammonia,” says Hydrogenious CEO Daniel Teichmann.

“There is a strong conviction in the competitive positioning of our LOHC compared with other hydrogen carriers” Teichmann, Hydrogenious LOHC

By investing in the company, Jera hopes to acquire knowledge of LOHC technology and will support the development of LOHC plants in Europe, North America and Asia.

Hydrogenious is building the world's largest LOHC plant in Dormagen, Germany, with commissioning scheduled in 2023.

Temasek, Chevron Technology Ventures and Pavilion Capital are also taking part in the investment round. Hydrogenious will use the funding round to scale up its storage-and-release plants, which bond and release hydrogen to and from its carrier molecules respectively.

Jera operates assets around the world and is looking to establish hydrogen supply chains to decarbonise its power generation portfolio. The firm aims to have net-zero emissions by 2050.

“At Jera group, commercial use of hydrogen at its thermal power plants is also targeted for the 2030s,” says Steven Winn, CEO of Jera Americas.

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Author: Tom Young