The Bottleneck Isn’t Production
HAR1 and HAR2 funding rounds have driven a wave of new hydrogen production into development. Pioneer 2 alone will deliver 25 times the output of Pioneer 1. The supply-side picture is improving fast.
But production capacity only matters if the hydrogen can reach the sites that need it. Green hydrogen decarbonises when it gets from the electrolyser to the point of use. Not before.
The gap between a production facility and a working customer deployment isn’t technical anymore. It’s logistical.
Pioneer 1 has been operational in South Wales since 2023, supplying over 200 kg of green hydrogen per week across live commercial deployments. Wales & West Utilities has been running hydrogen fleet trials from their Swansea depot using Pioneer 1 supply. In 2025, we delivered our first consignment of green hydrogen to OXCCU’s SAF pilot facility at London Oxford Airport. These aren’t proof-of-concept projects. They’re operational relationships that are already scaling.
“Distribution is just as important as production.”Pioneer 1 proved the model. Pioneer 2 is proving it scales. And everything we have learned in between is now built into our approach to every new deployment: a three-tier delivery model, rigorous quality assurance, and contracting that adapts to the real world.
One Delivery Format Doesn’t Fit Every Site
A construction site and a large manufacturing facility are not the same customer. A transport fleet running daily refuelling cycles has different requirements from a technology developer trialling hydrogen for the first time. One delivery method won’t serve all of them well. We operate three delivery formats. All are interchangeable, so you can scale your hydrogen operations up or down as your needs change.
What are MCPs and how do they work?
MCPs (Multiple Cylinder Packs) are our smallest format, compact, repeatable, and ideal for consistent low-volume deployments. They suit industrial sites, R&D facilities, and universities: operations where hydrogen demand is regular but volumes are modest. The key advantage is swap-out capability: one MCP is replaced while the other stays operational. Your site never goes down during a changeover.
Mini trailers
Mini trailers are built for sites that need flexibility without the commitment of fixed infrastructure. Higher pressure and greater volume per journey mean lower transport costs and fewer deliveries. The drop-and-swap model keeps your operation running with no downtime between changeovers. They’re the natural starting point for off-grid applications: festivals, construction sites, and customers on a scaling journey who want to see it work before going bigger.
MEGC tube trailers
MEGC tube trailers are designed for high-volume movement. They supply large vehicle fleets, major manufacturing facilities, SAF production plants, and bulk transfers between regional distribution points. Where volume and continuity of supply matter most, MEGCs are the right format.
Why does 350 bar delivery matter?
Our mini trailers and MEGC tube trailers deliver at up to 350 bar. That’s not a technical footnote. It means more hydrogen per load, fewer journeys, lower transport costs, and a smaller physical footprint on your site. It also matters for refuelling operations: higher delivery pressure means less compression required on-site, which directly affects the economics and the Scope 3 emissions picture.
We are the only green hydrogen production facility operating at this pressure. Most competitors don’t have the assets to transport at 350 bar. We do, and it’s a capability that makes a measurable difference to our customers’ operations.
Getting it there is only half the job
Receiving hydrogen on site is one thing. Receiving hydrogen that’s pure, certified, and consistently fit for purpose is another.
Hydrogen without verified provenance doesn’t count towards Scope 3 targets. Inconsistent supply disrupts operations and erodes confidence in the whole transition. That’s why reliability is built into everything we do: multiple production sites with a third coming online shortly, back-up supply agreements, a broad and interchangeable fleet, and preferred haulage operators with redundancy built into their services. When supply continuity matters to your operation, the infrastructure behind it matters too.
Purity and quality assurance
We supply ISO Grade D hydrogen as standard. Fuel cell grade. Testing protocols verify quality at every stage, from production through to delivery. Your equipment is protected, and your performance is consistent.
Traceability and green certification
Green certification proves the hydrogen came from renewable sources. That matters if you’re reporting Scope 3 reductions or meeting sustainability commitments. Full chain-of-custody documentation is included as standard, not an optional extra.
Specialist logistics
Not every site is the same. Flatbeds for accessible locations. HIABs for awkward access. Articulated containers for volume. Off-road vehicles for remote and off-grid sites. We maintain the fleet to match your location.
Flexible contracting
Livery-as-a-service means you receive hydrogen without owning the delivery infrastructure. Trials scale into long-term contracts as your confidence builds. Asset availability adjusts as your demand changes. The capital burden of managing supply logistics sits with us, not with you. Pioneer 1 has been operational since 2023. It’s not a pilot. The blueprint for Pioneer 2 was built on what it taught us.
What Pioneer 2 unlocks
Pioneer 1 produces up to 200 kg per week. Pioneer 2, targeting a Q2 2026 launch, will produce up to 1 tonne per day. That’s more than a 35-fold increase in daily output.
That scale is significant. That’s what it shows: the same model that worked at Pioneer 1 works at a tonne a day. Pioneer 2 isn’t a new experiment. It’s Pioneer 1 with the constraints removed.
The sectors we will serve:
Industrial gases and process industries
Refineries, power stations, and steelworks have been using hydrogen as a process gas for decades. The demand is already there. What’s changed is where the hydrogen comes from. These industries need reliable volume, consistent purity, and a supply that doesn’t interrupt operations. That’s what we deliver.
Hard-to-abate industry
Manufacturing, SAF production, power generation, and steel production all require a reliable supply with quality guarantees and flexible volumes, as do chemical processes that already embed hydrogen in their operations. The OXCCU partnership, which converts green hydrogen into jet fuel, is a real-world example of what this looks like.
Transport and maritime
Fleet refuelling for HGVs and vans, vehicle trials, and long-haul applications. Daily deliveries, consistent purity, no major depot modifications required.
Off-grid power
Construction sites, remote operations, backup power. Rapid deployment and equipment that works in locations where grid power can’t reach.
R&D and demonstration
Small initial volumes with a clear path to scale. Trials that can grow into long-term supply as the technology proves out.
None of these sectors needs the same thing. But they all need the same three things from a supplier: hydrogen that’s the right grade, delivered in the right format, with paperwork that holds up. That’s what we’ve built around. The delivery format changes by site. Everything else stays the same.
Customers shouldn’t have to work out how to get hydrogen from a production site to where they need it. That’s our job. Pioneer 2 is the next step in showing what that looks like when the volumes get serious.
Pioneer 2 is launching in Q2 2026. If you’re planning on going ahead with industrial, transport, or off-grid applications, now is the time to start the conversation.
Speak to the Protium team today.
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Join the growing number of UK organisations adopting green hydrogen energy solutions with Protium. Together, we can power a cleaner, more resilient future.