The EAH team had the pleasure of hosting Audrey Ma of REFIRE, based in Shanghai. Tackling this currently controversial sector and geography seemed like a fitting end to Season 8, a difficult season for many of our guests in hydrogen and private markets generally. We get a chance to hear about the incredible progress in China in the hydrogen fuel cell and power mobility space, debunk some of the mythology around free flowing subsidies, and of course it wouldn’t be this trio without a few ambling detours and off piste discussions.

About Audrey Ma:

Based in Shanghai, Audrey is Executive Director & Vice President of International Markets as well as a Board Director of REFIRE.

She is dedicated to advancing sustainable energy solutions that align with REFIRE's vision for widespread hydrogen technology adoption.

In her role as Executive Director and Vice President of International Markets, she has been been instrumental in driving REFIRE's global growth by effectively navigating complex market dynamics and establishing strategic partnerships and local operations. She is able to leverage diverse perspectives, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence within the industry.

A trained architect, Audrey held previous roles at HEAD Architecture, 10 Design, and B+H Architects, after which she did business development and Marketing at famed architecture firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP.

Audrey holds a Bachelors in Architecture from Carleton University and a Masters in Urban Design from the University of Hong Kong.

Audrey is a frequent speaker and participant at United Nations and Hydrogen Council events.

About REFIRE:

REFIRE is the world's leading deployer of commercial hydrogen fuel cell mobility and power. The company specialises in the design, testing, prototyping, application engineering, and production of fuel cell systems for buses, trucks, utility vehicles, power machines, and stationary power units. Since its founding in 2015, the REFIRE group of companies has grown to over 650 employees. Over 3,100 buses, trucks, and utility vehicles powered by REFIRE are in daily use in 20+ cities across 6 countries around the globe. Their combined mileage has surpassed 100 million kilometres to date.

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Links:

REFIRE - https://en.refire.com/

Recorded right before Climate Week in London, Everything About Hydrogen hosts Patrick Molloy, Alicia Eastman and Chris Jackson discuss the State of the Union of Hydrogen: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A Fan favorite, the SOTU allows us to dig a little broader and deeper into hydrogen and its role in the energy system.

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Links:

www.eahpod.com

The EAH team caught up with George Richardson of Norman Broadbent, the first UK headquartered search firm. Given his deep experience in hydrogen and broader purview including renewables, energy, utilities, and power, he was able to provide perspective on hiring patterns in these markets.

About Norman Broadbent:

Established in 1979, Norman Broadbent is a premiere executive search firm with over 3000 clients, from start-ups to FTSE 100 and international corporations.

The team has placed directors, executives and leaders in 79 countries around the world. They have a proven track record supporting SMEs, major brands, household names and established global businesses across a range of sectors.

Norman Broadbent has a commitment to ED&I, CSR and ESG, both internally and across every engagement with their clients and candidates. They are partners of Chapter Zero, building a community of non-executive directors and equipping them to lead crucial UK boardroom discussions on the impacts of climate change and helping ensure their companies are fit for the future. They are partners of Lean In Equity & Sustainability, an independent gender diversity and inclusion initiative, and a member-centric, diverse, international circle of women and allies supporting and empowering women to achieve their ambitions. Their mission is to empower women in male-dominated sectors to build a sustainable future. They are also supporters of Empowering People of Colour (EPoC), a peer-to-peer network that links high-potential executives of colour, providing support and opportunities for Board-level appointments and changing the makeup of leadership at the top of all UK institutions.

About George Richardson:

George is a Director within the international Energy, Utilities and Natural Resources practice at Norman Broadbent. He has a robust six-year background in the energy sector focusing intensively on the energy transition landscape, which includes significant expertise in hydrogen, battery energy storage systems (BESS), ammonia, and ET consulting.

George excels in assisting technology-based business, developers, asset owners, and service providers with their executive recruitment needs at C-suite, SVP, and Director levels. He is passionate about renewable energy, previously leading several podcasts and integrating with governing bodies to ensure continued change across the sector.

Prior to joining Norman Broadbent, George honed his skills at BOSS, a boutique energy firm, where he supported clients across EMEA, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. His experience spans various sub-sectors, including major utilities and developers, hydrogen, clean fuels, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), waste to energy, energy storage, and industrial engineering.

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Links:

Norman Broadbent - https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

This week on Everything About Hydrogen we have Kyle Arnold, the Managing Director of HyHAUL Mobility Ltd (HML). The company is leading the largest roll out of hydrogen Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) refueling infrastructure in the United Kingdom, operating along the M4 with 30 trucks by Q2 2026, supported by funding from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) Zero Emission Road Freight Transport (ZERFT). ZERFT has been subsequently rebranded as Zero Emissions HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrations (ZEHID). HML plans to eventually deploy over 300 fuel cell trucks totaling 44 tonnes of gross weight, by 2030.

Kyle previously developed, built and operated hydrogen refuelling infrastructure across the UK and Europe, notably the Tyseley refuelling site in Birmingham, the largest in Europe.

About HML:

HyHAUL is an ambitious initiative to establish the UK’s first dedicated hydrogen mobility corridor, setting a new benchmark in sustainable transport by proving the feasibility and scalability of hydrogen in heavy-duty freight operations.

By leveraging hydrogen’s potential to power zero-emission vehicles, HyHAUL directly addresses the decarbonisation of the most challenging and emission-intensive duty cycles in road transport. This pioneering effort supports the UK’s broader commitment to achieving net-zero emissions.

About Kyle Arnold:

HML Managing Director with over 20 years’ experience in project management, innovative engineering, and delivering First-Of-A-kind (FOAK) hydrogen projects across the UK, EU, and beyond. Throughout his career, he’s had the privilege of leading talented teams to ensure these groundbreaking projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and effectively. He’s worked closely with local and national governments and collaborated with some of the world’s most recognizable companies to drive innovation and make net-zero ambitions a reality. At the heart of everything he does, is a commitment to safety, sustainability, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the green hydrogen space.

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Links:

HML - https://hyhaul.co.uk/

DfT and Innovate UK - https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/news/infrastructure/dft-and-innovate-uk-programme-to-create-54-new-zero-emission-hgv-infrastructure-hubs-across-the-uk.html

The EAH team discusses shipping green house gas emissions elimination with Dr. Tristan Smith, who also helps translate some relatively positive developments at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 83 in early April 2025.

About Dr. Tristan Smith:

Dr. Tristan Smith is a Professor in Energy and Transport at UCL Energy Institute and since 2010, has grown a substantial group focused on modeling and analysis of shipping’s efficiency emissions and decarbonisation pathways. He is an author of the 3rd and 4th IMO GHG (International Maritime Organization Green House Gas) Studies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers, Scientists, and Technologists, through which he attends and participates in IMO GHG debates.

About UCL Energy Institute:

The University College London (UCL) Energy Institute delivers world-leading learning, research and policy support on the challenges of climate change and energy security.

From data analytics to environmental economics, they equip graduates with the tools needed to succeed in a career in energy industry, academia or policy.

UCL research combines different approaches to develop tools, models and methods that address global energy challenges. Students and staff have a genuine passion for energy research, cutting carbon emissions and reducing energy demand.

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Links:

UCL

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/environment-energy-resources/energy/about/ucl-research-guiding-global-energy-transition

UCL Newsletter

https://ucl.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9c46e9f5e89e162ce6e4df39c&id=4fa6573287

The EAH team unpacks multiple acronyms and endeavors with Nelson Monjarro, the lead coordinator of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) a public-private initiative bringing together the energy and maritime sectors to enable the establishment of Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEM-Hubs) at ports worldwide. The CEM-Hubs initiative has nine Energy and Transport Ministries working together with leaders of the energy maritime value chain and key partner organisations.

About Nelson Mojarro:

Nelson specializes in international energy and innovation, advising shipowners and m port leaders on alternative fuels and innovation. He has over 15 years of experience in high-level international energy policy and diplomacy, technology & innovation investments, as well as decarbonization. In addition to CEM-Hubs, his work focuses on green acceleration, connecting green finance, data, innovation and energy for a net-zero world.

As Representative of the Energy Sustainability Fund (£300M), based in Europe, Nelson led multi-million Euro international cooperation programs on clean energy innovation with the European Commission and the UK. He was a country delegate at COP21 in Paris and has participated in multiple COPs. He co-organised the COP28 Presidency CEO-Ministers meeting on energy and maritime in Dubai.

Nelson was an Advisory Board member of the Initiative Partnering to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Innovation of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Vice-Chair of the Committee for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Nelson developed and coordinated the first government partnership on innovation with the Breakthrough Energy Coalition (BEC), a group of international investors led by Bill Gates, and initiated and launched the partnership between Mission Innovation, a multi-billion government initiative and the World Economic Forum (WEF) to advance clean energy innovation as well as business and government engagement.

Nelson is a former OIES Saudi Aramco Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He also holds an MA in Industry and Innovation Analysis and did his doctorate studies at The Science Policy Research Unit in Sussex, United Kingdom (SPRU).

His research interests are related to technological change/innovation and energy transitions, particularly on the relationship between 'infrastructure change' and new 'green fuels'. He has published in academic journals about the use of biofuels in oil firms, such as BP, Shell, Petrobras and Pemex and was selected in 2013 as a Future Energy Fellow by Shell to write about Clean Energy for the Energy Collective.

About CEM:

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a high-level global forum to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy. Initiatives are based on areas of common interest among participating governments and other stakeholders. The Framework for the Clean Energy Ministerial, reaffirmed at the twelfth Clean Energy Ministerial in 2021, defines the CEM governance structure and outlines the mission statement, objectives, membership, and guiding principles.

The CEM brings together a community of the world’s largest and leading countries, companies and international experts to achieve one mission –accelerate clean energy transitions.

The CEM is an international clean energy leadership platform, a convening platform, an action platform, and an acceleration platform. It serves as a platform, where its members help shape the global clean energy agenda, and advance the deployment of specific clean energy technologies and solutions. It is also a bottom-up, government-led community for exchanging knowledge and insights, building networks and partnerships, and facilitating coordinated actions on clean energy and an implementation vehicle that helps its members to achieve specific domestic clean energy objectives.

Links:

Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) - https://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/who-we-are/

Clean Energy Marine Hubs - https://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/initiatives-campaigns/hubs/

The EAH team had the pleasure of speaking with Susana Moreira about H2Global’s plans to transform how Europe buys green fuels.

Susana Moreira is the Executive Director and Co-Chair of H2Global Stiftung. The H2Global Foundation is dedicated to fostering international cooperation and raising awareness about the H2Global mechanism and other market-based tools among governments worldwide to support their climate goals. It is also the body that has developed and now runs a unique double-sided auction mechanism, that aims to encourage global production of green fuels by providing long term certainty to project developers and allowing customers to purchase shorter term contracts, at prices that reflect market rates. In just three years, the H2Global instrument, implemented by Hintco, has mobilized over €5.86 billion from government sources to compensate for the price difference between supply and demand.

To hear more about Susana, H2Global and how they are hoping to unlock some of the worlds largest eFuel projects, don’t miss this week’s episode!

About Susana Moreira:

Susana Moreira is Executive Director and Co-Chair of the Board at H2Global Stiftung.

She has 15 years of experience working on energy and mining issues. During her 10+ years at the World Bank, she played a leading role in developing new projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She also led the “Climate-Smart Mining” initiative as well as the “Kickstart Hydrogen Knowledge Series”, and spearheaded various in-depth research publications on gases-for-transition, including green hydrogen, mining, and sustainability. Prior to joining the World Bank, she worked as a consultant on energy, political rights in Africa and public relations. She holds a PhD in International Studies, an MA in Pacific International Affairs, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.

About H2Global Stiftung:

H2Global supports the urgent need to create functioning markets for clean hydrogen and other low-emissions fuels by mobilizing public and private capital. The H2Global mechanism is designed to facilitate the ramp-up and use of clean hydrogen and other low-emissions fuels on an industrial scale, thereby actively contributing to the global energy transition and decarbonization efforts.

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Links:

Hintco Fact Sheet

https://cdn.sanity.io/files/u4w9plcz/production/8506bc6f24909ba96b6748f3fb0b28ab914607da.pdf

H2Global - Idea, Instrument, and Intentions Policy Brief

https://files.h2-global.de/H2Global-Stiftung-Policy-Brief-01_2022-EN.pdf

EAH co-hosts Christopher Jackson, Alicia Eastman and Patrick Molloy sat down with Dr. Gökçe Mete Gascon to learn more about Vattenfall activities in decarbonizing hard to abate sectors such as steel and transport including methanol and other alternative fuels. As Co-founder and Board Member of Women in Green Hydrogen, Dr. Mete is focused on steel, methanol, and infrastructure.

About Dr. Gökçe Mete Gascon:

Dr. Mete is Senior Partnership Manager at Vattenfall, building and maintaining strategic partnerships with industrial players, such as chemicals, steel, refineries, industrial gases and transport to jointly tackle the challenges and opportunities of decarbonization, green hydrogen and the electrification of industrial processes.

Gökçe is Co-founder and Board Member of the Women in Green Hydrogen Network, Qualified lawyer, PhD, and author of 30 publications. She had over 14 years of business and strategy development, policy & regulatory analysis, leadership, project and stakeholder management experience focused on climate change, international development, carbon markets and green transformation of energy, heavy industry and minerals sectors.

Prior to joining Vattenfall, she led South Pole’s heavy industry transition and renewable hydrogen portfolio as Global Head of Hydrogen, designing and developing business models and project investment cases for renewable hydrogen.

Previously she was the Head of Secretariat of the UN Leadership Group for the Industry Transition hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute which explores how policy, finance and business practices in hard-to-abate industry sectors such as steel, cement, heavy duty transport and chemicals can be aligned to achieve climate neutrality.

About Vattenfall:

Vattenfall is one of Europe’s largest producers and retailers of electricity and heat with approximately 19,000 employees. For more than 100 years, they have electrified industries, supplied energy to people's homes and modernised ways of living through innovation and cooperation. They are committed to building a future where everyone can choose fossil-free ways to move, make and live.

Vattenfall seeks to become fossil free itself and looks beyond its own industry to really make a difference. Together with its partners, the Company is taking on the responsibility to find new and sustainable ways to electrify transportation, industries and heating.

About Women in Green Hydrogen:

Women in Green Hydrogen is a network of passionate women working in the green hydrogen sector. The vision is to increase the visibility and amplify the voices of women working in green hydrogen. The network provides a platform to connect, empower, and change.

Diversity is essential for a sector that thrives on innovation and new ideas.  The network works to promote the participation of women in conferences, expert talks, and relevant media to shape a more diverse and inclusive discourse in the world of green hydrogen. The goal is to build a community to foster knowledge exchange, connect women in green hydrogen, and create professional opportunities for members.

WiGH organizes networking events and panels about relevant topics in green hydrogen, manage an international expert database, and offer a mentorship programme.  They are also active on social media to increase visibility, promote activities and facilitate exchange. 

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Links:

Women in Green Hydrogen https://women-in-green-hydrogen.net/

Vattenfall:

https://group.vattenfall.com/

Books by Dr. Mete:

The Energy Transitions and Future of Gas in

the EU: Subsidise or Decarbonise? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-32614-2

The Palgrave Handbook of Social License to Operate and Energy Transitions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022)

https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-030-74725-1

EAH co-hosts Alicia Eastman and Patrick Molloy sat down with Karen Baert, the CEO and co-founder of Ammobia to learn about their high-efficiency innovation of the ammonia production process. We also discussed the role of ammonia and the challenges that clean tech innovators face.

About Karen Baert:

Karen has extensive experience across the sector having completed her Bachelors in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering in Brussels, Master in renewable energy at the Technical University Berlin, and MBA at Stanford University. Karen spent several years at Bain & Co., and worked with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, as well as Stanford GSB Impact fund, before co-founding Ammobia. Karen and her Co-founder and CTO are taking on the 100 year-old Haber Bosch process by developing their own reactor which offers potential for improved efficiencies in ammonia production with less emissions and lower capex.

About Ammobia:

Ammobia is developing Haber Bosch 2.0 - an innovative low cost, flexible process for clean ammonia production from clean hydrogen and air. They leverage the latest advances in materials science and catalysis to produce clean ammonia at low cost. Their processes and systems work across production scales and modes and they expect:

- to require one third the capex

- ⁠increased safety & flexibility (running directly on renewables)

- ⁠80-90% lower emissions

- ⁠10x reduction in pressure

- ⁠150°C reduction in temperature

US-based Ammobia closed an oversubscribed, US$4.2 million funding round in April. Led by Starlight Ventures and including Collaborative Fund, Chevron Technology Ventures, Arosa Capital, Zero Infinity Partners, R7, DNX Ventures and Plug and Play Tech Center, the funds will support a 1000x scale-up of Ammobia’s next-generation synthesis technology.

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Links:

https://www.ammobia.co/

https://ammoniaenergy.org/articles/funding-for-ammonia-energy-startups-in-2024/

https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2024/04/03/ammobia-funding-green-ammonia

EAH co-hosts Alicia Eastman and Patrick Molloy sat down with Amy Hebert, the CEO of Arcadia eFuels and learned more about Arcadia goals to produce future fuels that protect our environment and power the world. Learn more about Arcadia projects in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as Project SkyPower, which Amy co-Chairs, paving the way for the first large-scale eSAF plants in Europe to reach Final Investment Decision by the end of 2025.

About Amy Hebert:

Amy Hebert has more than 25 years of global industry experience and 12 years in executive leadership focused on the refining, chemical and polymer markets. She has expertise in all aspects of business management including developing and executing long term business strategy while managing overall financial wellbeing; managing joint ventures, new plant construction, and plant expansions from idea, through design and startup. Most recently, she was Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer for Haldor Topsoe, and prior to that Vice President Europe with Celanese and Global Vice President Catalysts at Albemarle.

Amy holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Amy is also a supervisory board member, nomination and audit committee member of specialty chemicals player IMCD (formerly International-Müller Chemical Distribution).

About Arcadia eFuels:

Arcadia eFuels is creating net zero carbon fuels that use existing infrastructure and work in existing engines. Arcadia leverages proven technology in a novel way to meet the significantly outpaced market demand.

Arcadia intends to build multiple plants that will each produce 80,000 tons (100 million liters or 28 million gallons) of eFuels per year.

Specifically, Arcadia will produce eDiesel and electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) to power the hard to abate long haul transportation sectors such as aviation and shipping.

Beginning with renewable electricity, Arcadia will make green hydrogen, then combine carbon dioxide from direct air capture and/or other biogenic carbon sources to produce syngas. Further processing produces carbon neutral eFuels such as eSaf, eDiesel, eNaptha, and LPG.

The carbon neutral eFuels can be used by existing cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes as a complete replacement for fossil fuels.

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Links:

www.arcadiaefuels.com

www.project-skypower.org