Hydrogen mobility company expands Sunderland operations to meet soaring demand

A global company employing 70 people in Sunderland has announced a sharp rise in new orders for the growing hydrogen mobility sector.

Haskel, part of Ingersoll Rand inc. (NYSE:IR), is growing its operations to meet rising demand for clean energy and hydrogen mobility throughout Europe and Asia Pacific from major vehicle manufacturers, governments and industry coalitions.

The company currently employs 70 people at its Sunderland facility in North Hylton, developing hydrogen mobility technology that is exported globally.

Haskel Hydrogen Group saw its business grow over 250 per cent in 2020, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and is looking to expand capacity with the creation of eight new roles already and a further 12 by the end of Q2.

Stephen Learney, Haskel’s vice president and general manager, said: “Hydrogen is playing a transformative role in the clean energy transition and Haskel is poised to meet massive new demand for hydrogen mobility infrastructure solutions in 2021 and beyond.”

Beyond economic growth and employment opportunities, Haskel is helping fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) become more viable in the local region by making available a large fleet hydrogen refueling station (HRS) for local commercial use.

Stephen explained: “While 2020 brought plenty of challenges, it’s also raised further awareness of climate change.

“We are proud to make a contribution to cleaning our environment for future generations by developing clean energy transport solutions right here in Sunderland.”

In 2020 Haskel launched Nano, its new plug-and-play refueling system designed to meet the needs of small or pilot hydrogen FCEV fleets.

It was also awarded a key project for the deployment of Geno large fleet refueling stations throughout the Czech Republic at existing petrol stations – expanding the number of 700bar and 350bar refueling stations throughout Europe built with Haskel technology.

Stephen added: “The recent wins reflect the global traction in hydrogen powered transport and demonstrate the viability and demand for Haskel’s range of solutions.

“The great news for the region is that our success is driving demand for continued investment to build capacity and to recruit the best local talent.”