Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has invested in Electric Hydrogen (EH2), a clean hydrogen startup headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, to support its efforts in developing cost-competitive, fossil-free hydrogen. The investment was part of a $198-million financing.

Through this investment, MHI aims to strengthen and diversify its hydrogen value chain, advance its energy transition business, and act on its commitment toward global carbon neutrality goals. The investment has been executed through Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA), which joins a consortium of investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Equinor, Amazon, Honeywell, and Rio Tinto.

EH2’s patented approach to electrolysis is specially designed for the high-volume, low-cost production required to support massive industrial operations, which could significantly improve the levelized cost of hydrogen.

This investment will support the scale-up of EH2’s electrolyzer technology and its use in the manufacturing, and deployment of pilot projects to produce green hydrogen at large scale for industrial and infrastructure applications.

Industries not amenable to electrification, such as steel, fertilizer and intercontinental energy transport, account for more than a third of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to EH2. Hydrogen, when produced in places with abundant and clean electricity, is a promising pathway for decarbonizing these industries.

MHI is working to build a hydrogen value chain through its proprietary technologies, plus investment and collaboration with companies such as EH2.