- The agreement signifies a major win for the future of the MENA region as a green hydrogen hub, regional cooperation, and Israeli-Moroccan relations
According to the company’s website news release on November 9, 2022, Israeli company H2Pro and Moroccan renewable energy developer Gaia Energy announce the signing of a strategic agreement during the UN Climate Conference (COP 27). The two companies revealed plans for their new partnership in the presence of Tamar Zandberg, Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Lior Ben Dor, Director for Egypt and the Maghreb at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Rachid Tahiri, Head of the Division of Climate Change and Green Economy for Morocco's Ministry of Energy Transition & Sustainable Development, and Kelthoum Belhaj, Head of Green Economy Unit for Morocco's Ministry of Energy Transition & Sustainable Development. Under the historic agreement, Gaia will use a range of 10-20 MW-scale H2Pro electrolyzer technology for a demo project in Morocco, while exploring in parallel the use of H2Pro technology in a Gigawatt-scale system currently being developed by Gaia within the Kingdom.
The announcement comes amid the most high-profile climate action gathering - the annual United Nations Conference of the Parties. COP27 is being hosted by Egypt in Sharm El-Sheikh, where the topic of green hydrogen and its critical role in the net-zero transition features heavily in both official negotiations and side events. Green hydrogen has become widely accepted both as a key tool for decarbonizing hard to abate sectors and as a clean molecule for storage and transport of renewable energy.
"Morocco, and the MENA region at large, are poised to lead the world in the clean energy transition by making use of our abundance of renewable resources and becoming a green hydrogen hub. By combining the power of Gaia's renewable energy assets with H2Pro's efficient and cost-effective green hydrogen production technology, we bring Morocco and our region one step closer to this vision," said Moundir Zniber, CEO of Gaia Energy. "At the Gigawatt-scale level, we bolster Morocco's profile as a serious player in the green hydrogen space," he added.
The theme of cross-border cooperation over climate action is also a star topic on the agenda of COP27. H2Pro, which was chosen to exhibit in Israel's first ever pavilion at a UN climate conference, came to COP27 as a champion of regional cooperation and with aspirations for the MENA region.
"Climate change is the greatest challenge facing our generation, and it can only be solved by reaching across borders with seamless coordination between the private and public sector", said Talmon Marco, CEO of H2Pro. He continued, "We chose COP27 as the platform for launching H2Pro and Gaia's partnership because this moment is not merely an achievement of two private companies, but rather a milestone in Moroccan-Israeli relations. It demonstrates the triumph of regional cooperation over climate change and is a clear indicator of the key role innovation plays in diplomacy. We're proud today to be working with Gaia Energy to take our region to new heights as it assumes its leadership role in the clean energy transition."
Minister Tamar Zandberg spoke about the importance of the government supporting the private sector when it comes to climate action. "No country, and no sector, and no one can do it alone. We are all gathered in this cause, and if we can use it for the sake of our children, we will be blessed," she said.
ABOUT GAIA ENERGY
Headquartered in Morocco, Gaia Energy is a leading international large scale renewable energy developer in Africa. They are one of the first local companies developing large scale renewable energy projects in Africa, adopting the highest international technical standards with prevalence in more than 10 countries and a pipeline of 6 GW of projects under development. Gaia is also developing several large-scale projects to convert renewable energies to green hydrogen and green ammonia, with a pipeline of 8 projects for a total capacity of 40 GW around the continent.
Gaia partners and works together with large utilities, national grid operators and governments to energize Africa. Gaia has developed a unique process tailored to the needs and demands of emerging countries. Gaia has also established first class structuring partnerships for its projects with large multinational energy companies all over the continent.
ABOUT H2PRO
H2Pro is accelerating the global transition to net zero by enabling affordable green hydrogen this decade. H2Pro's E-TAC (Electrochemical - Thermally Activated Chemical) technology solves the key challenges of traditional electrolysis by time-separating hydrogen and oxygen generation. E-TAC reaches its unparalleled 95% efficiency (compared to 60-70% efficiency of alternative methods) by avoiding the inefficient electrochemical Oxygen Evolution Reaction, replacing it with a Thermally Activated Chemical (TAC) reaction that doesn't consume power or heat. Additionally, as hydrogen and oxygen are generated at separate times, an expensive membrane is not required. Combined with low-cost, mass-produced electrodes, E-TAC systems benefit from a safe and easily scalable design at a greatly reduced cost.
Headquartered in Caesarea, Israel, H2Pro was founded in 2019 based on years of research conducted at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. H2Pro has raised over 100 Million USD. It is backed by leading investors and strategic partners, including Bills Gates' climate fund Breakthrough Energy, Temasek Holdings, ArcelorMittal, and Yara Growth Ventures. H2Pro's 0.4MW pilot systems will launch in 2023 and its commercial production line will begin manufacturing in 2024 via its first factory in Tziporit, Israel.
For more information, please visit h2pro.co and gaiaenergyre.com
For press inquiries, please contact press@h2pro.co
