THE drive towards clean energy and hydrogen mobility across Europe and Asia pacific is fuelling a North-East company's growth.

Haskel Hydrogen Group saw its business grow over 250 per cent in 2020 and is looking to expand capacity as it continues to grow and innovate.

Currently employing 70 people at its Sunderland facility in North Hylton, Haskel develops hydrogen mobility technology that includes a comprehensive range of hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) exported globally.

Having already recruited eight new roles so far this year, in a mixture of operational, sales and business development roles, the company plans to recruit a further 12 by the end of Q2, increasing its workforce by about 50 per cent on the previous year.

This is fuelled by major vehicle manufacturers, government and industry coalitions, and infrastructure companies, expanding hydrogen refuelling infrastructure networks throughout the world.

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."

Haskel is also helping Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) become more viable in the region with a large fleet of HRS for local commercial use.

“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,” added Mr Learney.

In 2020 Haskel launched Nano, its new plug-and-play refuelling 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 refuelling stations throughout the Czech Republic at existing petrol stations - expanding the number of 700bar and 350bar refuelling stations throughout Europe built with Haskel technology.

Further boosting the company’s success, Haskel’s hydraulic-driven gas booster, H-Drive, was selected for use in integrated refuelling systems in the Netherlands, to support a commercial fueling company meet the country’s “20 in 2020” goal. In addition, Haskel secured a significant contract to develop and deploy hydrogen refuelling systems in Western Australia.

“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.”

To learn more about Haskel Hydrogen Systems, visit https://www.haskel.com/hydrogen-refueling/innovative-fueling-solutions-for-a-more-sustainable-world/.