REG - Johnson Matthey PLC - Johnson Matthey announces new hydrogen gigafactory

Johnson MattheyAnnouncement

18/07/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 7198S  Johnson Matthey PLC  18 July 2022

Johnson Matthey announces new hydrogen gigafactory to accelerate the transition to a decarbonised transport economy
18 July 2022

 

 

·   JM invests in capacity to support customer growth, backed by customer
demand

·   UK government through the Automotive Transformation Fund and Advanced
Propulsion Centre (APC) today announce their support for JM's hydrogen
gigafactory

 

Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in sustainable technologies, announces
that it is building an £80 million gigafactory at its existing site in
Royston, UK, to scale up the manufacture of hydrogen fuel cell components.
Earlier this year, JM announced a refreshed strategy, with an ambition to be
the "market leader in performance components for fuel cells and
electrolysers", targeting more than £200 million sales in Hydrogen
Technologies by end of 2024/25.

The gigafactory will initially be capable of manufacturing 3GW of proton
exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell components annually for hydrogen vehicles
and is supported by the UK Government through the Automotive Transformation
Fund (ATF). The APC forecasts that the UK will need 14GW of fuel cell stack
production and 400,000 high pressure carbon fibre tanks annually to meet local
vehicle production demands by 2035 whilst the market expects that there could
be as many as three million fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on the road
globally by 2030.

The investment will safeguard highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the UK. The
site is expected to be in operation by H1, 2024.

The new facility at Royston will deploy state-of-the-art manufacturing
processes to scale up production of fuel cell components and to meet customer
demand. The site could be expanded in the future, almost tripling potential
capacity by using the decommissioned Clean Air production facility, to produce
both fuel cell and green hydrogen components.

Liam Condon, Chief Executive of Johnson Matthey said: "Decarbonising freight
transportation is critical to help societies and industries meet their
ambitious net zero emission targets - fuel cells will be a crucial part of the
energy transition. For more than two decades, JM has been at the forefront of
fuel cell innovation. The fuel cell market has now reached a pivotal moment
with the increasing urgency to decarbonise transportation and today marks the
next step of the journey to a low-carbon future in the UK. We're delighted to
be playing a key role in driving it forward."

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng: "This investment, backed by Government, is
a major vote of confidence from Johnson Matthey in the UK. Their new facility
will not only add to our growing electric vehicle supply chain, but it will
also help secure hundreds of highly skilled jobs.

 "We are working hard to ensure the UK reaps the benefits of the green
industrial revolution, and today's announcement reaffirms UK's reputation as
one of the best locations in the world for high quality auto manufacturing."

Ian Constance, Chief Executive of the APC, the organisation tasked by the
automotive industry and government to accelerate development of green vehicle
technology and responsible for managing ATF, said: "This is incredibly
significant and puts the UK in an enviable position in the global fuel cell
supply chain. Our insight forecasts that the UK could dominate European fuel
cell production and be a centre of excellence globally and today's
announcement is a huge step towards realising that ambition.

"We already have 15% of the fuel cell value chain radiating from UK businesses
but this could be as much as 65% just by expanding on current strengths in
electrochemistry and coatings or using our automotive capability to volume
manufacture components. Johnson Matthey, a world-leader in hydrogen
technology, have seen this opportunity and I'm delighted they have chosen the
UK to grow this capability."

Road freight accounts for about 9% of global CO2 emissions, with 62% arising
from medium and heavy-duty trucking - the hardest-to-abate transport
segments.  Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) provide similar
benefits to existing technology such as fast refuelling and long range but
emit zero kerbside CO2 or other pollutants, so they are a popular option for
decarbonising heavy-duty commercial vehicles and are core to a net zero
future.

 

 

ENDS

Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies that enable a
cleaner and healthier world. With over 200 years of sustained commitment to
innovation and technological breakthroughs, we improve the performance,
function and safety of our customers' products. Our science has a global
impact in areas such as low emission transport, energy, chemical processing
and making the most efficient use of the planet's natural resources. Today
about 15,000 Johnson Matthey professionals collaborate with our network of
customers and partners to make a real difference to the world around us. For
more information, visit www.matthey.com (http://www.matthey.com)

Inspiring science, enhancing life

 

For further information, please contact

 

Surinder Sian / Barney Wyld

0207 269 8001

jmpr@matthey.com (mailto:jmpr@matthey.com)

 

 

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