Driving a step-change in sustainable energy provision

As the climate conversation intensifies, zero-emission power specialist GeoPura is leading a step-change in sustainable energy production. With significant investor support catalysing rapid operational expansion and spurring a swathe of headline contracts, the business is laying foundations to become a global clean energy frontrunner. Here, in the first of a two-part series, chief financial officer Derek Bulmer tells Bdaily editor Steven Hugill about its progress – and why its growth journey is only just beginning.

The hours can stretch in a wildlife-watching hide.

Darkness envelops the world, the scene broken only by a slithering shade of light sliding through a slender shooting port.

Breath fogs in cold winter air and eyes scan in slow motion against ordered silence.

Watching; wondering; waiting.

An animal watcher’s life is one measured in time, but also patience and promise. And many protective layers.

Britain’s dark months are no place for the faint-hearted, especially those chasing elusive avian and mammal forms.

Relief then for the BBC’s Winterwatch series and its intrepid commitment to capturing the warmth of the animal and human worlds colliding amid the chilliest of climates.

Reverence too to Newcastle-headquartered GeoPura, which for many years has kept the hidden cameras rolling, the heaters at peak temperatures and the spotlights burning brightly on Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and co.

The largest producer of green hydrogen in the UK, GeoPura’s chief thrust comes from innovative hydrogen power units.

Made by Siemens Energy at the company’s Tyneside base since 2019, the portable modules combine hydrogen with oxygen to generate reliable, zero-emission electricity.

Crucially, the units can be shipped for all sectors to all locations, including the wilds of Northern Ireland’s Mount Stewart estate that played host to the latest Winterwatch window.

But its significance stretches beyond one popular television series.

In a world where the clamour for climate action jars dichotomously against rising sales of diesel generators – demand is expected to push sales beyond $30 billion by 2030 – GeoPura is driving a seismic voltage volte-face.

Alongside Winterwatch – and its sister Springwatch and Autumnwatch shows – GeoPura’s hydrogen power units are in demand across multiple sectors and scenes.

Just days ago, the company revealed it will supply 2500 tonnes of hydrogen – the equivalent of more than 12 million litres of diesel – to help fuel construction of the Lower Thames Crossing project, as officials strive to make the new Kent-to-Essex road venture the UK’s first major carbon-neutral infrastructure scheme.

Elsewhere, its units have been used by Netflix to help create hit drama Bridgerton; Universal Studios to make Downton Abbey’s big-screen finale; and BST Festival organisers to support the delivery of a Neil Young-led concert.

Golf’s DP World Tour also called on the apparatus to power the production village at Wentworth’s blue-ribbon BMW Championship, with Balfour Beatty, HS2 and the Ministry of Defence among many more additional clients.

“We are leading the way on technology,” Derek Bulmer, GeoPura’s chief financial officer, tells Bdaily.

He says: “Our mission is all about decarbonisation and the provision of safe and sustainable energy through the creation of hydrogen to generate power.

“One of our major goals is diesel generator displacement.

“We know the lack of energy alternatives is a growing issue, but as a society, we’re throwing more carbon – through more diesel generators – to fill that gap.

“We need a viable alternative, and that’s what we’re creating with our hydrogen power units.

“The hydrogen charges the in-built batteries, so customers get instant power, even in the middle of nowhere; you don’t have to warm up the units like you would a diesel generator.

“There is no noise pollution or carbon footprint from our units, either; you can stand next to one and have a full conversation because they are so quiet.

“Furthermore, our units deliver significantly improved air quality because they’re not burning diesel.

“And you can also recycle the heat and water that comes from every unit during the power delivery process for subsequent use in welfare cabins.”

The premise is strong, and so too is market and investor backing.

That GeoPura was able to catch BBC producers’ eyes, and subsequently many others, was as much down to the functionality of its technology as its scalability, with the latter driven by Derek and his team’s raising of more than £170 million in debt and equity finance across the last three years.

From production partner Siemens Energy to General Motors’ capital arm GM Ventures, Swen Capital Partners, Barclays, HSBC, Close Brothers, BNP Paribas, EIFO and the National Wealth Fund, the roll call is as long as it has been impactful.

GeoPura has developed multiple hydrogen production sites, including Croft Farm, near Doncaster, and a sister base on the footprint of a former coal-fired power station site in High Marnham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, which has Government Hydrogen Allocation Round programme support.

The latter, known as HyMarnham Power through a joint venture with sustainable waste processing firm JG Pears, uses local renewable energy and benefits from existing national grid and water networks, providing capacity to produce 300 tonnes of hydrogen every day.

In addition, the business has invested a further £20 million on an 80-strong tube trailer fleet to expedite transportation of hydrogen nationally, while its workforce has risen from about 20 in 2021 to nearly 200 highly-skilled and well-paid roles – with plans in place to quadruple its roster over coming years.

Derek says: “We are backed by significant organisations; this is a very serious play.

“The capital we have raised has brought in world-class investors from Germany, France and the US, as well as the British Government.

“They can see the potential of the platform we’re creating that is going to lead the world.”

And those horizons, says Derek, are set to broaden further, with billions planned to be invested over the coming years to maintain the firm’s trajectory.

The business has ambitions to roll out a £1 billion-plus blueprint to build 1000 hydrogen power units over the next five years, creating a further 200 jobs as it does.

Across the next decade, those numbers rise to a £3 billion investment, representing 4000 hydrogen power units and the creation of 1000 jobs.

Its progress, says Derek, will be fuelled in part by the development of its second-generation hydrogen power unit – known as HPU2 – which promises heavy-duty power support for operators such as hospitals and data centres, a world soon to include QTS’ £10 billion campus at Cambois, near Blyth, and Latos’ £100 million Stockton-on-Tees venture.

The latter, in particular, offers immense possibilities, adds Derek, with GeoPura already in talks and carrying out trials with firms to assess its technology’s potency in the digital sphere.

He says: “Our HPU2 units scale up to 50MW, allowing them to be used for back-up power for large operators.

“There is a real opportunity in the North East with the Cambois and Teesside schemes alone.

“If they scale, it will create a lot of well-paid jobs, not just in terms of building the sites, but servicing and supporting them too.

“And we see ourselves as being a major part of that.”

To support those growth ambitions, GeoPura has appointed Lord Richard Harrington of Watford as its new chair.

Boasting extensive experience across government, investment, advanced manufacturing and the commercial sector, the ex-Minister for Business and Industry is also presently serving as Make UK chair, which, says Derek, makes him a perfect addition to GeoPura’s senior team.

He says: “Lord Harrington’s appointment is a major milestone. 

“His expertise brings exceptional depth to our board at a defining moment in our growth. 

“I’m excited to welcome him as chair as we scale our production capability and expand further internationally.”

Derek adds: “This is one of the most exciting businesses I’ve worked for.

“It is a genuine privilege to be the chief financial officer, and to be doing something that is important for the environment and the future.”

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