Raising capital, Regulatory

Twelve granted $29m tax credit for CO2 electrolyzer development

Twelve will design, construct, and commission a pilot manufacturing facility for its Opus CO2 electrolyzer in Alameda, CA.

April 25, 2024

Twelve has been granted up to $28.5m in tax credits through the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project (48C) Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from the U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Energy.

These funds will scale manufacturing of the Opus CO2 electrolyzer, according to a news release.

Through this project, Twelve will design, construct, and commission a pilot manufacturing facility for its Opus electrolyzer in Alameda, CA, establishing itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of PEM CO2 electrolyzers.

Twelve will manufacture these Opus units for deployment at its AirPlant™ facilities, which produce Power-to-Liquid (PtL) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other CO2Made® chemicals, supporting the Administration’s ambitious decarbonization goals and enabling the scale needed to compete with petrochemical products. Twelve’s PtL E-Jet® fuel offers significant advantages over other SAF, including up to 90% lower emissions, nearly unlimited feedstock supply, up to 1000x less land use, and up to 30% less water use.

Beyond SAF, Twelve’s technology can transform CO2 emissions into a suite of valuable, carbon-based chemicals and materials. In order to deploy these AirPlant facilities nationwide, Twelve must rapidly expand internal CO2 electrolyzer manufacturing capabilities. The 48C allocation kickstarts this initiative. It provides dedicated investment towards Twelve’s first electrolyzer manufacturing facility and enables continued growth in expertise and manufacturing capabilities for this critical decarbonization technology.

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Innovation, Project finance, Raising capital, Regulatory

DOE awards $130m for CCUS projects

The US DOE has announced $131m for 33 research and development projects to advance the wide-scale deployment of carbon management.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $131m for 33 research and development projects to advance the wide-scale deployment of carbon management technologies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, according to a news release yesterday.

The projects will address technical challenges of capturing CO2 from power plants and industrial facilities or directly from the atmosphere and assess potential CO2 storage sites, increasing the number of sites progressing toward commercial operations. Expanding commercial CO2 storage capacity and related carbon management industries will provide economic opportunities for communities and workers, helping to deliver on President Biden’s goal of equitably achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

DOE is investing $38m in 22 projects awarded under the “Carbon Management” funding opportunity that will develop technologies to capture CO2 from utility and industrial sources or directly from the atmosphere and transport it either for permanent geologic storage or for conversion into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals. Projects will examine commercial viability and technical gaps, while also examining environmental and community impacts of the technologies. Selected carbon dioxide removal projects will support the cost and performance goals of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot initiative, which calls for innovation in pathways that will capture CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently store it at meaningful scales for less than $100/net metric ton of CO2-equivalent. CO2 storage projects announced today under this FOA will look specifically at assessing potential resources for mineral carbon storage—where the CO2 becomes permanently stored as a solid mineral through a chemical reaction. A detailed list of the selected carbon management projects can be found here.

DOE is investing $93m in 11 projects awarded under the “CarbonSAFE: Phase II – Storage Complex Feasibility” funding opportunity that will improve procedures to safely, efficiently, and affordably assess onshore and offshore CO2 project sites within a storage complex at a commercial scale. Projects were selected under DOE’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) initiative, which focuses on developing geologic storage sites with potential to cumulatively store 50 or more million metric tons of CO2. A detailed list of the selected CarbonSAFE projects announced today can be found here.

January 31, 2023

Innovation, Project news

Chemours nets approvals for fuel cell membrane manufacturing

A Chemours JV will supply fuel cell and humidifier membranes globally, enabling downstream customers to accelerate conversion to green, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty transportation.

The Chemours Company has obtained the required approvals from the European Commission and the People’s Republic of China State Administration for Market Regulations to launch operations at its joint venture with BWT FUMATECH Mobility GmbH, under the name of THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company GmbH – A BWT Chemours Company.

FUMATECH BWT GmbH is an established player in multiple hydrogen markets focused on membrane manufacturing in the field of fuel cell technology.

The 50-50 joint venture focuses on integrating the unique capabilities, resources, and technological expertise of each company to elevate and accelerate the capacity to manufacture fuel cell and humidifier membranes for mobility applications for long-term customers. By leveraging the best of each partner’s complementary assets, THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company GmbH – A BWT Chemours Company will expedite the supply of HDFC membranes to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), helping to meet the demand for these membranes that are critical to fully scaling the global hydrogen economy.

“Our Nafion^™ ion exchange membranes are playing a critical role in driving the hydrogen economy and helping to create a more sustainable future, ” said Gerardo Familiar, president of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. “The technologies and solutions powered by our chemistry enable modern life and support economies across the world. Our joint venture with FUMATECH BWT GmbH and the BWT Group will enable solutions to support the future of clean energy and the transition to

THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will supply fuel cell and humidifier membranes globally, enabling downstream customers to accelerate conversion to green, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty transportation, driving green goals and sustainable policy frameworks in the E.U., the U.S. and elsewhere. With regulatory approvals in place the joint venture can now officially begin operation producing fuel cells and humidifier membranes for the mobility market.

June 1, 2023

M&A, Project news

California Resources merger doubles CO2 pore space

A merger with Aera Energy will roughly double the pore space for California Resources’ carbon management business, Carbon TerraVault, a JV with Brookfield Renewable.

California Resources will more than double the CO2 pore space for its carbon management business, Carbon Terravault, through its announced merger with Aera Energy, the second largest producer of oil and gas in California.

The combination will expand CRC’s leading carbon management business through the addition of surface acreage and rights, and significant new carbon dioxide (CO₂) pore space to enable future carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) development, according to a news release.

Through this combination, CRC will receive interests in approximately 220,000 net mineral acres with nearly 80% of the acreage within field boundaries held in mineral fee and 100,000 fee surface acres. Pro forma, CRC will have more than 1.9 million net mineral acres.

CRC will also obtain 1 pending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ClassVI permit application for 27 million metric tons (MMT) of storage capacity in the Belridge Field. CRC also expects to submit an additional Class VI permit for approximately 27MMT of storage at the Coles Levee Field. The Company will have the potential to nearly double its injection rate capacity near CTV I, creating a premier “decarbonization hub” for CO₂ storage.

Additionally, the combination of the Carbon TerraVault platform and Aera’s Low Carbon Solutions will enable further expansion to a variety of energy transition technologies in development including Direct Air Capture (DAC), geothermal, solar, and water treatment, and enable additional clean tech partnership opportunities with a goal to further decarbonize California, the company said.

Aera is owned by entities managed by IKAV (51%), an international asset management group, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) (49%). Post closing, IKAV-managed entities and CPP Investments will collectively hold 22.9% of CRC’s common stock.

Citi and Jefferies are serving as financial advisors and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is serving as legal advisor to CRC. Wells Fargo acted as lead financial advisor alongside Truist and Latham & Watkins LLP is serving as legal advisor to CPP Investments & IKAV.

February 7, 2024

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M&A, Raising capital

Quantron kicks off Series B equity raise

The German and American mobility provider is seeking to raise EUR 200m in a Series B equity raise, as the company plans to become a one-stop-shop for hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles, according to a teaser.

Quantron, the Germany and US-based hydrogen trucking manufacturer, is seeking to raise EUR 200m in a Series B capital raise, and has further plans to raise money in a Series C in 2024 or 2025, followed by an anticipated IPO beyond 2025.

The company plans to use proceeds from the Series B accelerate the roll-out of existing production and make additional market entries included expanding its operations in the US, according to a sale teaser seen by The Hydrogen Source. Stifel is leading the capital raise, as previously reported.

By advancing a full-scale zero-emission ecosystem, Quantron is seeking to take part in the sourcing and distribution of green energy and hydrogen, as well as building fuel cell and battery electric vehicles and components and offering customer solutions like aftersales, the teaser notes.

Quantron, which has offices in Augsburg, Germany and Detroit, Michigan, has brought in about EUR 28m in revenues since inception and expects EUR 60m in revenue this year, fueled by a EUR 100m order book and pipeline. The company has put 150 vehicles on the road to date and has 130 employees.

Its Series A capital raise of EUR 45m, completed in September, 2022, implied a EUR 250m pre-money valuation. The ongoing EUR 200m capital raise will come in the form of the Series B financing as well as working capital facilities.

The company recently announced commitments with FirstElement Fuel and Goldstone Technologies Limited. Quantron debuted its Class 8 hydrogen fuel-cell truck in the US at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, California in April.

June 28, 2023

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M&A, Project finance, Project news, Raising capital

US hydrogen developer to raise $1bn in 2023

Avina Clean Hydrogen will need $600m or more of debt and between $200m and $300m of equity. Capital raising talks are focused on the operating company and project level.

Avina Clean Hydrogen, a U.S.-based developer of hydrogen production plants, will seek to raise approximately $1bn, or possibly more, in 2023, CEO Vishal Shah said in an interview.

The company will need $600m or more of debt and between $200m and $300m of equity, Shah said. Capital raising talks are focused on the operating company and project level.

Avina is also in discussions with potential investment bankers, but has not hired anyone yet, Shah said.

“The capital needs for us are going to continue to grow,” Shah said. “We are certainly open to bringing on additional partners.”

Four development projects have offtake agreements in place, Shah said. The first operational plant will open in Southern California next year or early 2024, followed by Avina’s 700,000 mtpa green ammonia project in the Texas Gulf Coast. Additional projects are underway in the Midwest.

Three of those projects, each with offtakers in place, will reach FID in 2023 and need project debt, Shah said.

Avina is engaged with half-a-dozen potential customers and will seek to develop additional projects within that existing footprint.

Renewable energy procurement is also an important concern for Avina; the Texas project alone will require 900 MW of renewable energy to power, Shah said. The company is in offtake discussions with regional IPPs, mostly in solar and battery storage, but could use help with those agreements. Shah declined to name the firm’s legal advisor.

Avina was founded more than three years ago and is principally backed by Hydrogen Technology Ventures, a firm headed by Shah.

An equity raise was completed in early Q4, Shah said, declining to provide details. The company has a “large industrial firm” as a strategic investor that it hopes to announce soon. Looking forward, the company will look for a second strategic investor, as well as project finance.

December 12, 2022

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Project finance, Project news, Raising capital

California biomass-to-hydrogen firm in Series A

A woody biomass-to-hydrogen firm in California is conducting an in-house Series A for engineering and design on its first project, one that will need more than $800m of debt and equity in the future.

Mote Inc. is aiming to finish a Series A round, raising between $12m and $15m, by the end of the year, CEO Joshuah Stolaroff said in an interview.

The company does not have a relationship with a financial advisor and has been conducting the raise in-house, he said. Moving forward the company will need a financial advisor.

The Series A will provide some 18 months of technology development runway, plus engineering and design on the first project in Bakersfield, Kern County. That will require some $800m in debt and project equity to start in the next year.

A second project in Sacramento is in the pre-Feed stage. That development is the subject of a recently secured grant from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

“We need big partners to do it on any meaningful scale,” Stolaroff said of biomass-to-hydrogen. Investors tend to be technology VCs with little or no knowledge of project finance, and infra funds looking for no-risk projects. “We fall somewhere in between.”

Part of the Arches H2 hub in California, Mote has ambitions to expand to other areas of the US with good biomass supply and CO2 storage, like the southeast and Gulf Coast, Stolaroff said. The company would also like to expand internationally.

“We are a great deal right now,” he said of the Series A,” adding that a Series B or project equity round will follow shortly.

Majority equity is held by the company’s six employees, Stolaroff said. There are also seed investors that hold equity.

Abundant feedstock and a growing offtake market

Mote’s three primary feedstocks are agricultural and forestry reside and urban green waste. California produces some 45m tons of it per year and the number nationwide is about half-a-billion, Stolaroff said.

Mote is confident for demand from hydrogen customers, Stoaroff said. Transportation is expected to be a strong demand source by the time Mote is operational. The Arches hub also has connections with municipal users, filling stations and the ports of LA and Long Beach.

“We are all planning for growth,” he said.

August 17, 2023

Twelve granted $29m tax credit for CO2 electrolyzer development

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DOE awards $130m for CCUS projects

Chemours nets approvals for fuel cell membrane manufacturing

California Resources merger doubles CO2 pore space

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US hydrogen developer to raise $1bn in 2023

California biomass-to-hydrogen firm in Series A

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