• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

No matter where you stand in the hydrogen-as-aviation-propulsion debate, we can all agree that without significant hydrogen production, there is absolutely no chance of it becoming the fuel of the future, no matter if the aircraft capable of flying on it exists or not.

Meanwhile, most hydrogen today is produced using fossil fuels, and clean, "green" hydrogen only makes up about 1% of overall production. An International Energy Agency report from 2019 found that hydrogen production was responsible for around 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of the UK and Indonesia combined.

As such, anyone hoping to promote products relying on hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative has to get involved in scaling green hydrogen. Thus, it makes sense that Airbus, which has committed to bringing a hydrogen-powered aircraft to market by 2035, would invest in clean hydrogen infrastructure.

During the Farnborough International Airshow last week, the European aerospace manufacturer announced that it had invested in the world’s largest clean hydrogen infrastructure investment fund, managed by Hy24. The latter is a joint venture between world-leading private investment house Ardia and FiveTHydrogen, an investment manager specializing in clean hydrogen.

Airbus taking an active role in overall hydrogen infrastructure

Karine Guenan, Vice President for ZEROe Ecosystem at Airbus, commented on the financial commitment,

"Since 2020, Airbus has partnered with numerous airlines, airports, energy providers and industry partners to develop a stepped approach to global hydrogen availability. Joining a fund of this magnitude demonstrates Airbus' continuously active role in infrastructure investments for the production, storage and distribution of clean hydrogen worldwide."

Shifting energy geopolitical landscapes

Clean hydrogen investments are gaining momentum. Of course, it is not only aviation that will need the energy source to decarbonize operations. According to the World Economic Forum, hydrogen could account for 12% of global energy consumption by 2050, leading to the rise of new low-carbon energy superpowers.

This means that funds like the one managed by Hy24 could be part of redrawing the geopolitical map. But first things first - finding and investing in companies that will move the clean hydrogen agenda forward.

Pierre-Etienne Franc, the CEO of Hy24, commented on the commitment from Airbus,

"We are delighted that Airbus has joined the fund along with other key industrial and financial investors. Hy24 is well-positioned to identify and accelerate the development of clean-hydrogen infrastructure companies to meet today's needs and ensure tomorrow’s transportation and logistics.”

The exact sum of the investment has not been disclosed by either party. Thus far, Hy24 states on its website to have a track record of €600 million ($609 million) of investments into clean hydrogen projects and €1 billion ($1.015 billion) of allocations for its 'Clean H2 Infra Fund.'

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Source: IEA, World Economic Forum