UK sustainable technology group Johnson Matthey has signed a three-year supply deal with Norwegian high-tech hydrogen company Hystar to ramp up green hydrogen production.

The contract is the next step in the collaboration between the two companies that started in November 2021 and is focused on scaling up the development and manufacturing of electrolyzer stacks for Hystar’s planned multi-gigawatt (GW) production line, which is expected to be operational by 2025.

Hystar’s CEO Fredrik Mowill said: “Hystar’s class-leading PEM electrolyzer is currently undergoing a ramp-up to GW-scale production capacity. As part of our growth plans, Hystar will partner with strategic suppliers, such as Johnson Matthey, who possess state-of-the-art technology, mass manufacturing capacity as well as the ability to pursue future technology developments.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Johnson Matthey will supply membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), which are key performance-defining components for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, as part of Hystar’s HyPilot project in Norway.

This project at the Kårstø gas processing plant in Rogaland, will verify Hystar’s patented technology under realistic field conditions, in collaboration with industry leaders Yara and Equinor. As part of the project, Hystar will deliver a complete, autonomous, containerized PEM electrolyzer with a hydrogen production capacity of up to 745 kg/day. Start-up is planned for the second half of 2023.

Hystar is a spinoff company of Norwegian research organization. In January, it raised $26 million in a Series B funding round to rapidly scale up to full commercial operation, fuel the company’s growth and expansion into new markets, and deliver on larger projects.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist