Powerhouse Energy (LON:PHEG) Group PLC (AIM:PHE) earlier this week announced the mechanical completion of its Feedstock Testing Unit (FTU), marking a significant step forward for the company.
The milestone is key to advancing its hydrogen technology.
Chief executive Paul Emmitt explained that the FTU’s cold commissioning is now complete, with all equipment in place and preliminary testing underway.
Hot commissioning is planned for early 2025, with investor showcases scheduled for February.
Here, we take a closer look at what was said.
Proactive: Paul, very good to speak to you, and obviously out with good news: the mechanical completion of the Feedstock Testing Unit. A significant milestone for the company.
Paul Emmitt: Yeah, thank you, Stephen. Thanks for having me again. The cold commission has been, I suppose, in the eyes of the shareholders, a long time coming after the issue we had with Mitchell Dryers. But I think we’ve finally met that milestone.
The cold commissioning realistically means we have all the equipment in place. Everything is being tested—obviously without heat—but also without the process operating as a single unit.
What we plan to do next will be the hot commissioning in the new year. That will include not just adding heat into the process, but running the process as a full facility.
It's about sewing the materials together to give us what we want in the new year. It will take a little time, which is why the investor days are planned for late February. But at the moment, everything is really positive.
It’s a big milestone for us and a good showcase of not only our technology but also the potential good work we can do for other people.
Proactive: And this positions the company as a technology developer, right?
Paul Emmitt: Correct. Once we can get our clients here to look at the process working, we can visit old clients and meet with new potential clients. I believe this is just the beginning.
Having this showcase here is important—it’s like buying a second-hand car. You wouldn’t buy it without seeing it first. This is where we need to be.
Proactive: Maybe just to recap: Can you tell us about the progress Powerhouse Energy has made in 2024 to reach this point?
Paul Emmitt: Of course, yes, no problem. 2024 started off relatively hard with the challenges we had. There were issues with our patents, but once those were resolved, we made great progress.
This year, we advanced patents in the UK, Europe, and Japan. That’s a big step forward, and there’s more to come. Our patent suite includes three patents in each territory, and we still expect to secure the remaining patents in each area, plus others.
The issue with Mitchell Dryers delayed us, and realistically, we should have achieved this milestone by last Christmas. However, we’ve pulled things back really well as a company. It was hard, but our stronger board has made a difference.
We’re all on the same page, and our shareholders have been extremely patient.
Now, entering 2025 feels very positive. The national hydrogen feed is ready to start, and the FTU is prepared for demonstrations.
We’ve also been pursuing other opportunities, and these will become much more tangible in 2025. I feel like we’re in a good place.
Proactive: And you’ll be showcasing the Feedstock Testing Unit in February. What happens after that?
Paul Emmitt: After that, we’ll test the material for National Hydrogen to prove the process for them. This should help their investors. We’ll also revisit the clients we’ve had on hold because we couldn’t test their materials.
Hopefully, they’ll take the technology forward as National Hydrogen plans to do.
It just opens the doors for us. It allows us to be more proactive—no pun intended—in working with clients and properly commercializing the process.
This is something we’ve needed, and now it’s here. That’s the main thing.
Proactive: Paul, I hope you’ll keep us updated on any progress as we enter 2025. Thank you very much for speaking to us today.
Paul Emmitt: Thank you, and have a good Christmas.