The company from Burgos that wants to dominate the big green hydrogen revolution

More than half of the 600+ high-pressure compression equipment currently used by companies in the food industry on five continents are manufactured in Burgos. It is a success story that the company, led by its CEO and founder Andrés Hernando, now wishes to repeat, fully entering the emerging renewable hydrogen revolution worldwide as a new commitment to decarbonizing the global industry.

Hyperbaric aims to replicate its strategy of specializing in going down to hydrogen, and to do so by producing the equipment necessary to develop the chain of the new green gas economy. The group is dedicated to the design and manufacture of very high pressure equipment (more than 1,000 bar). to compress the hydrogen and this will be necessary to store and transport the gas and then use it to charge vehicles.For example.

And it does so with the aim of becoming once again an internationally dominant player in this industry niche. “Our strategic goal for 2027 is to become the European leader in high pressure hydrogen compression technology,” Hernando said at a press conference in Madrid. “As we understand that the future passes through this energy vector, we are moving forward and researching in the manufacture of green hydrogen compressors from renewable energies to achieve world-leading position.”

Green hydrogen is being called one of the next energy revolutions in a few years, with the aim of replacing natural gas with an emission-free green gas in economic sectors where it is difficult to electrify processes such as large industry or heavy transport. Energy groups around the world are preparing hundreds of projects for green hydrogen production plants that use electricity from renewable energies for their production.

growth plan

A revolution in which Spain wants to become a major international ‘centre’ for green hydrogen production and export, and companies and governments want the country to provide high added value with its own industry and technologies.

With hydrogen as the new pillar of its growth, Hiperbaric has devised a new strategic plan that promises a strong increase in sales and profitability in the years ahead. The group aims to reach 2027, doubling last year’s record turnover. Transition from 63 million revenue to billing in 2022 158 million in five years. It also aims to more than double its gross operating result (FOFök) from 21.1 million last year to almost 50 million in 2027.

In last year’s record results, almost 99% of revenue was generated by the high-pressure equipment business for food and beverage processing tasks. Hyperbaric’s plans envision the production and development of hydrogen compression equipment to concentrate around 40% of turnover in 2027, with 60 million in this business alone.

The growth is already continuing: last year revenue from equipment linked to the hydrogen industrial process contributed only 1 million euros to the accounts, this year the company will reach 7 million euros. Only in Spain, the company from Burgos is already counted as a customer Iberdrola, Enagás, Acciona, Coagener, Serveo or Clantechand also the Lhyffe group in France or Framatome in Germany.

“The goal is to replicate in the hydrogen business what we have already achieved in food. We will bet on specializing in a niche market, such as compression equipment, which is completely necessary to develop the entire hydrogen value chain,” said Hiperbaric CEO. We are focused on control. Our job is to compress it, not produce it.”

share change

The company boasts of moving into the financial soundness and shareholder stability phase after recent changes. After refinancing its debt just three months ago, the company’s leverage is less than three times its ebitda (less than €60 million), which, according to the company, allows it to make the necessary investments for its expansion.

Also, last December there was a revolution in the distribution of the group’s capital. The management team, led by Hernando, acquired a 55% majority stake. In an operation for which he valued 267 million euros. The Alantra fund remains a shareholder, but has reduced its holdings from 52% to 10%; Industrial Technological Development Center (CDTI) affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Innovation also entered with 16%; the remaining 19% is in the hands of the Caja de Burgos Foundation, industrialists Ginés Clemente and Gerardo Gutiérrez. family office and other small private investors affiliated with the company.

Produce everything in Burgos

The group’s current plans are to focus on the technology needed to compress hydrogen for storage and road transport, as well as compression for use in vehicle charging hydrogen plants. But he also does not rule out making the leap later and starting to manufacture equipment for the envisioned large hydroelectric networks, such as H2Med between Spain, France and Portugal, or the interior corridors in the Spanish market.

“We are interested in trucking hydrogen because the pressure required to compress it is very high. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to tube it and we’re competitive at high pressure,” says Hernando. ”

Hyperbaric’s roadmap considers it can achieve its goal of becoming the European leader in compression equipment for hydrogen: continues to concentrate all its production in the Burgos factory. But the company Will open in the future to open new factories in the United States or Asia alone or with local partners As the expansion of renewable hydrogen as an energy vector evolves and current expectations for green gas are met.