The group has welcomed an Australian and Saudi company for the first time, as well as a group of financial institutions which form a new Investor Group that has the aim of supporting massive scale-up of hydrogen solutions to decarbonise sectors including transport, buildings and heavy industry.
Out of the 22 new members, five become steering members: CNH Industrial (via IVECO), Michelin, Saudi Aramco (via the Aramco Overseas Company), Schaeffler Group, and Siemens; 12 become supporting members: Chart Industries, Chevron, ElringKlinger, Fortescue Metals Group, Galp, ILJIN Composites, MANN+HUMMEL, McDermott, Nikola Motor, Sinocat, Snam and Woodside Energy; and a new Investor Group of five companies that occupy the financial space: Antin Infrastructure Partners, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, John Laing, and Société Générale.
This membership announcement comes just days before the Council’s third anniversary CEO Event, to be held on Monday (20th January) in Versailles alongside French President Macron’s ChooseFrance! Summit and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“We are very pleased to see continued interest from world-renowned companies who recognise the massive potential of hydrogen and share our mission of scaling up hydrogen solutions,” said Benoit Potier, Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide and Co-chair of the Hydrogen Council.
“In the past three years the Hydrogen Council has boosted global collaboration and the industry is firmly positioned to scale up hydrogen solutions around the world.”
“Increased support from new countries and investors is a testament of the strong momentum we have built.
“It is through this continued collaboration and the scaling up of hydrogen solutions that we will achieve the environmental and economic benefits toward a low carbon society.”
The addition of the Council’s newest members is the culmination of a year of strong progress in 2019.
Commenting on today’s announcement, gasworld’s Global Managing Editor Rob Cockerill said, “The continued expansion of the Hydrogen Council is brilliant news for the hydrogen sector, further adding to the gravitas of the notion of a hydrogen-enabled society.”
“It’s significant because the Council plays a unique double role in this movement as both a catalyst and a signifier of the flourishing hydrogen society.”
“All of these companies, many of them household names and all of them heavyweight players across the industrial and energy sectors, believe in hydrogen and its future role in decarbonising all walks of life.”