Williams invests in zero-emission natural gas-to-hydrogen technology

Williams made a direct investment in Aurora Hydrogen, a firm developing technology to convert natural gas to hydrogen without emitting carbon dioxide (CO2).

The technique of Aurora Hydrogen converts methane into hydrogen and solid carbon without producing carbon dioxide. Williams’ investment will enable the creation of a demonstration plant by 2023 and the scaling of production to 200 kilogram per day. Of the investment in Aurora Hydrogen, Williams was joined by Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), Chevron Technology Ventures, Shell Ventures, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

“The Aurora Hydrogen technology supports our strategy to further leverage natural gas as a powerful tool in decarbonizing the energy value chain,” said Chad Zamarin, senior vice president of Corporate Strategic Development for Williams. “With our existing energy infrastructure, Williams is well positioned to transport, store and deliver next generation natural gas and accelerate the development of zero carbon energy sources including hydrogen and renewables. The investment in Aurora Hydrogen further demonstrates our commitment to develop solutions that continue to meet growing energy needs while helping customers achieve sustainability goals.”

The creation of hydrogen with the Aurora technology has the potential to drastically cut global CO2 emissions while consuming less electricity than existing ways of hydrogen production and eliminating the requirement for CO2 sequestration. In addition, the procedure does not require water as a raw material, so conserving yet another vital resource.

Williams’ investment was made through its Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) program, which aims to fund initiatives to commercialize developing technologies such as clean hydrogen, solar, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), and next generation natural gas.

Through the CVC, Williams has also committed around $40 million to venture capital funds and direct investments in leading-edge energy transition technology startups. This includes a recently financed cooperation with Context Labs to provide innovative services to natural gas value chain customers. The program will combine sophisticated sensors, satellite monitoring, and blockchain technology to give end-to-end measurable, verifiable, and transparent emissions data for real-time decision making.