Johnson Matthey signs hydrogen investment agreement in China
Johnson Matthey announced plans to build a new catalyst coated membrane (CCM) production facility in the Jiading District in Shanghai to help accelerate the hydrogen economy in China. An investment agreement was held on July 12 with the Jiading District in Sonning, UK.
Johnson Matthey is one of China’s leading auto catalyst producers and platinum group metals traders and refiners, and a leading player across syngas and hydrogen fuel cells.
CCMs are key performance defining components in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). China has said it aims to have one million hydrogen-powered vehicles on its road by 2030.
The facility will have an initial capacity of up to 5 gigawatts (GW) and will be operational by 2025. It will have potential to expand further in line with customer demand.
The new production facility will enable Johnson Matthey to supply existing Chinese and international customers with locally produced CCMs. In addition, there is a strong pipeline of further customer interest across both fuel cell and renewable (green) hydrogen technologies.
The investment is part of Johnson Matthey’s GBP1.1 billion (USD1.4 billion) global capital expenditure for the three years to 2024-25 and will include government support and incentives.
“This is a landmark investment for our business as we build our footprint in the US, Europe and now China, cementing our presence in all three major hydrogen markets. We are excited to expand our businesses whilst creating and scaling the low carbon solutions that will help China achieve carbon neutrality by 2060,” said Dr. Mark Su, president of Greater China at Johnson Matthey.
“Jiading District is a famous international automobile city and one of the earliest areas in China to develop a hydrogen industry. With the help of companies like Johnson Matthey, we are able to actively build a hydrogen technologies innovation hub and a national fuel cell vehicle demonstration city. This investment agreement plays to both parties’ strengths and is a win-win cooperation,” said Gao Xiang, mayor of Jiading District.
