Utility Hits the Holy Grail in Clean Hydrogen Production

At CERAWeek in Houston, Utility's leader in clean hydrogen solutions announced a groundbreaking achievement: the first-ever clean hydrogen production using blast furnace gas in a single process step under actual industrial conditions.

Unlike traditional hydrogen production methods, H2Gen does not require electricity, making it a commercially viable and scalable solution for heavy industries such as steel manufacturing, chemicals, refining, and power generation. By converting industrial off-gases into clean hydrogen while generating enriched CO₂ for cost-effective carbon capture, Utility's system presents a cost-efficient and sustainable path toward decarbonisation.

Newly appointed CEO Parker Meeks highlighted that this breakthrough enables steel plants and other hard-to-abate industries to reduce emissions without significant capital investments or operational disruptions.

We sat down with Parker Meeks to discuss his new role, the company's recent achievements, and the future of hydrogen in the energy transition.

Q. What were the reasons you were interested in leading Utility as CEO?

Parker Meeks: Utility technology has always stuck out with tremendous potential as a practical, scalable and economical approach to bringing clean hydrogen to market in line with demand for mobility and many other use cases.

Having followed the company for some time, seeing the significant technology and commercial progress it has made cemented that view given the tangible proof Utility has shown in its technology performance in steel and clear strategic customer & investor commitment.

Combining that with a long relationship with Ara that I have held for some time and seeing their clear commitment to the company, I had the opportunity to join the company as CEO to lead its commercialisation phase one, which I was honoured to accept.

Q. How do you view success over the year? Five years?

Meeks: One year: In a phrase, making significant strides in commercialisation across several fronts, solidifying the steel market commercial pipeline with multiple leading steel customer commercial agreements for Utility projects.

Five years: Establishing Utility as the clean hydrogen solution of choice, first in steel as the clear leading economic decarbonisation and energy efficiency choice for the industry globally, with projects online in multiple geographies and across a number of the leading steel producers.

Q. What do you perceive as the #1 benefit of the H2Gen system over the competition?

Meeks: The H2Gen system offers seamless integration with existing industrial assets and processes due to its tiny footprint, operational flexibility, and modular scalability. Our system enables a decentralised, on-site hydrogen supply, eliminating transportation costs, enhancing reliability, and eliminating dependence on power or renewable energy.

The ability to integrate into existing industrial complex and/or biogas feed source infrastructure to efficiently produce hydrogen on-site from water using energy in waste- or off-gases for immediate use provides significant efficiency in the overall energy cost for the customer, enabling the lowest price of hydrogen possible for many of our customers (vs. off-site production or other methods).

Q. How far along in commercialisation are you compared to the competition?

Meeks: Utility is ahead in terms of cost-competitiveness and modular deployment. While other hydrogen production solutions require substantial infrastructure investment and permitting process, we deliver a decentralised, cost-effective solution that allows industries to transition to clean hydrogen without overhauling existing operations. We are currently in the commercial deployment phase, working with key industry partners to scale adoption. Having proven performance in steel in one of the most extensive steel production facilities in North America, alongside our internal testing and pilot projects, we are confidently accelerating into commercialisation.

Q. How much money would a steel plant (industrial plant) save yearly with the H2Gen system installed?

Meeks: When it comes to making clean hydrogen and concentrated CO2, the economics for our steel customers include three to six times larger savings than other solutions with the same end product and carbon impact. In short, utilizing their off-gases to produce hydrogen and concentrated CO2 is significantly more economic than alternatives -- that, in most cases, is utilised as energy back in the steel-making process.

Q. How complex is it to install a system? How long does it take?

Meeks: The H2Gen system is designed for simple, modular integration and easy integration, with efficient installation compared to industry standards for projects of comparable size and site-specific requirements. Given our modular design and off-site fabrication, we are able to perform significant amounts of man-hours off-site, critically reducing on-site installation time. Since our system operates within existing industrial footprints, it minimises permitting and downtime and avoids costly infrastructure modifications.