Image Credit: Logan Energy
Hydrogen Innovator Logan Energy Secures £5m Funding Boost from Lanxing New Energy and Scottish Enterprise.
Edinburgh-based leader in green hydrogen solutions, Logan Energy, has announced a significant investment milestone, securing £5 million in funding to advance its technology infrastructure, bolster its workforce, and expand its global footprint.
Today's announcement reveals that over 50% of the investment originates from Singapore-based green energy investment firm Lanxing New Energy, with the remaining portion provided by Scottish Enterprise.
With a 26-year track record, Logan Energy specializes in hydrogen-related services, including production, refueling, storage, distribution, and fuel cell technologies. The company has established a robust presence across the UK and Europe, conceptualizing, constructing, and commissioning hydrogen production and refueling stations across various regions.
Noteworthy projects include collaborations with diverse clients in the Netherlands, Germany, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Spain, Singapore, and China. Logan Energy is currently actively deploying a hydrogen electrolyzer at Arbikie Distillery near Montrose, Scotland, aimed at augmenting the utilization of green hydrogen within the site's energy framework.
Additionally, the company is spearheading the establishment of hydrogen refueling stations catering to buses, vans, passenger vehicles, and heavy-duty vehicles, with manufacturing operations based in Wallyford and infrastructure development at Heriot-Watt University.
Bill Ireland, chief executive of Logan Energy, said the fresh funding would allow the firm to move forward with its mission to become an industry leader in providing integrated hydrogen energy systems and energy transition solutions.
"It will also allow us to address the supply chain issues the industry is facing by developing key relationships with original equipment manufacturers and equipment developers around the globe and ramp up our ground-breaking research and development capabilities here in the UK using our unique know-how around hydrogen systems," he added.
"Lanxing New Energy shares our ambition around the massive potential for the integration of hydrogen energy systems, and the investment from Scottish Enterprise will help develop our vital R&D function and allow us to build a skilled, well-rewarded, and long-term workforce in the hydrogen economy."
Logan Energy chairman Ian Marchant claimed hydrogen has a crucial role in the energy transition in Scotland, the UK, and globally.
"Logan is well positioned to help companies and organizations develop, build, and operate all forms of hydrogen projects, and this funding will allow further growth, involvement in larger projects, and the development of the skill base needed," he said.
Dr Yuxuan Zhang, chief executive of Lanxing New Energy, concurred that hydrogen was vital in transitioning to a low-carbon economy worldwide.
"For us, it has been about finding the best partner to understand the complexities of integrated energy systems and develop advanced hydrogen technologies," he said. "We believe Logan Energy to be the best in class. Over the coming months, we aim to announce several new capabilities for the hydrogen market as we further develop Logan's strategic plan."
Moreover, Scottish Enterprise chief executive Adrian Gillespie said: "Logan Energy is pushing to the forefront of the hydrogen sector with its unparalleled whole-system expertise, products, and services.
"With hydrogen as one of the transformational opportunities Scottish Enterprise is targeting as part of our future focus, Logan is a perfect fit for us to partner with in this investment."
In related developments, SGN and Fife College unveiled plans for the UK's inaugural hydrogen training facility for gas engineers, set to open in the first half of 2024 at Fife College's Levenmouth Campus. The facility aims to upskill over 200 Gas Safe registered engineers to work with hydrogen, in line with the industry's transition towards net-zero emissions. SGN's H100 Fife Project, a pioneering green hydrogen trial, will leverage the trained workforce to deliver green hydrogen to homes in Levenmouth through an innovative hydrogen gas network, marking a significant milestone in Scotland's renewable hydrogen endeavors.
H100 Fife Project Manager Richard Beedell said the industry needs a diverse and skilled workforce to keep communities safe and warm during the transition towards net zero emissions.
"We're delighted to be working with Fife College on building this first-of-a-kind training center, which brings us one step closer to bringing green hydrogen gas to domestic customers for the first time," he said.
SGN CEO Mark Wild, who also chairs the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership, added that preparing gas engineers for the skills they will need in the coming years was necessary.
"They are the guardians of our gas network, on the frontline making sure communities are safe, warm and have access to the critical services they need," he added. "They'll also play a key role in the years to come, ensuring our industry is at the heart of the UK's ambitions to achieve net zero."
The Scottish government makes £100m in capital funding available for renewable hydrogen projects. The first tranche of the hydrogen investment program, the £10m Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, opened in June 2022.
Announcing the plans, Scotland's then cabinet secretary for net zero, energy and transport, Michael Matheson, described the hydrogen economy as "Scotland's greatest industrial opportunity since oil and gas was discovered in the North Sea."