ITM Power (electrolyzer manufacturer) and Protium Green Solutions (green hydrogen company) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to develop, invest in, and operate industrial-scale green hydrogen production plants across the United Kingdom, with the Cromarty Hydrogen Project in the Scottish Highlands identified as the immediate focus of their collaboration.

Framework Built for Flexible Deployment

The agreement, announced on 3 June 2026, establishes what the two companies describe as a flexible framework to support the expansion of the domestic green energy supply chain within the UK economy.

Rather than committing to a single model of delivery from the outset, the partnership allows both parties to pursue parallel tracks while conducting commercial due diligence.

Among the options being evaluated is the potential involvement of Hydropulse, ITM Power's build-own-operate subsidiary designed to deliver containerized green hydrogen plants.

Separately, the companies are also examining the possibility of Protium directly acquiring electrolysis assets from ITM Power. This dual-track approach is intended to ensure what the companies call optimal project delivery, technical alignment, and value for money.

Beyond Cromarty, the broader framework is oriented around Protium's portfolio of Hydrogen Allocation Round projects in the UK, with the partnership described as a mechanism for scaling up deployment across multiple future sites.

Cromarty Project in Focus

The Cromarty Hydrogen Project, recently acquired by Protium, is the first concrete area of collaboration under the new agreement. The project has secured government-backed funding through Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 (HAR1), a scheme designed to support the early commercial deployment of green hydrogen production in the UK.

The plant is designed around a 15 megawatt electrolyser capacity and will produce approximately seven tonnes of green hydrogen per day at peak output. Its intended customer base includes heavy industrial heat and power users, with a particular emphasis on businesses in the region that are currently not connected to the national gas grid.

The project is therefore positioned as a means of providing a localised and reliable low-carbon energy source to sectors that have limited alternatives for decarbonisation.

As the primary project developer, Protium will lead power procurement, permitting, downstream infrastructure, and hydrogen distribution for Cromarty. A Final Investment Decision is currently targeted for December 2026. Phase 1 of the project is estimated to create approximately 30 highly skilled local jobs and apprenticeships within the region.

What Each Company Brings to the Table

ITM Power designs and manufactures industrial-scale electrolysers using proprietary proton exchange membrane technology. The company is headquartered in the UK, listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market under the ticker ITM, and holds the Green Economy Mark, which recognises companies that generate more than 50 percent of their revenues from green products and services.

In addition to equipment supply, ITM Power offers hydrogen production through its Hydropulse build-own-operate model. Protium describes itself as an end-to-end green hydrogen company whose solutions span production, distribution, and on-site deployment.

The company's stated focus is on helping businesses replace fossil fuels across construction, manufacturing, transport, and operations. Its capabilities include technical services, commercial development, and what it characterises as practical hydrogen solutions deployable in current market conditions.

Leadership Perspectives

Dennis Schulz, Chief Executive of ITM Power, said the arrangement brings together complementary expertise across a range of engagement models. "By working alongside Protium in a framework ranging from equipment supply to investment, we are bringing together our complementary expertise," Schulz said.

"Together, we can deliver highly competitive hydrogen with strong long-term economics and help accelerate the UK hydrogen market." Christopher Jackson, Chief Executive and Founder of Protium, framed the deal as a combination of two leading domestic hydrogen businesses.

"This partnership between Protium and ITM Power brings two of the UK's best-in-class hydrogen businesses together to deliver a truly unbeatable proposition for customers," Jackson said. "Reliability, affordability and scalability with no compromises and no carbon emissions. This is how we move the UK hydrogen economy from concept to reality."

Broader Context for UK Hydrogen Development

The partnership arrives at a point when the UK government's Hydrogen Allocation Round process has become a key mechanism for channelling support toward early-stage commercial green hydrogen projects.

HAR1, under which Cromarty secured its funding, represents one of the first structured attempts to bring government-backed revenue support to producers at industrial scale.

The structure of the ITM Power and Protium agreement reflects an approach common among project developers at this stage of market development, where flexibility in commercial and financial arrangements is seen as necessary given the evolving nature of demand, infrastructure, and policy.

By keeping multiple delivery models open simultaneously, the two companies are hedging against uncertainty while committing to a shared pipeline of opportunities within the UK market.

United Kingdom's Hydrogen Pipeline Is Moving Fast, Is Your Intelligence Keeping Up?

Across the United Kingdom, hydrogen infrastructure is transitioning from ambition to action, with gigawatt-scale electrolyzers, cross-border pipelines, and green fuelling corridors advancing at a pace that leaves little room for slow research cycles. For developers, investors, and technology suppliers, the window to position early is narrow and the cost of missing a critical tender or contract award is significant.

The Global Project Tracking (GPT) platform by Blackridge Research was built precisely for markets moving at this speed. By consolidating project intelligence into a single, continuously updated environment, it eliminates the fragmented data gathering that causes teams to act too late or pursue the wrong opportunities altogether.

Whether you are monitoring electrolyzer procurement, tracking hydrogen storage developments, or mapping the competitive landscape across the United Kingdom energy corridors, the GPT platform gives your team the structured, actionable data needed to make confident decisions at every stage of the project lifecycle.

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