ITM Power Wins £86.5 Million UK Backing as 10.8% State Stake Targets 1 GW Electrolyser Scale-Up

ITM Power has secured £86.5 million in UK public backing, with Great British Energy committing £40 million in equity and the government offering a further £46.5 million grant in principle to support expansion of the company’s electrolyser manufacturing in Sheffield. The package marks Great British Energy’s largest investment to date and signals a more direct state role in scaling domestic clean energy supply chains rather than relying only on policy support from a distance.

The investment is tied to ITM Power’s next-generation Chronos platform, with the Sheffield project targeting 1 GW of nameplate production capacity by 2028. The UK government said the expansion is expected to create more than 400 jobs and strengthen South Yorkshire’s position as a major manufacturing base for electrolysers, which are central to green hydrogen production.

 

Why the Deal Matters for ITM Power

 

The funding gives ITM Power a stronger financial and political platform at an important stage in its scale-up strategy. H2 View reported that Great British Energy’s investment would translate into a 10.8% stake, or close to 72 million shares, making the state-backed energy company ITM’s second-largest shareholder. That shifts the relationship beyond grant support and turns the UK state into a meaningful strategic investor in one of the country’s key hydrogen equipment manufacturers.

The company has also raised its FY2026 cash guidance to £210 million to £215 million, up from the earlier £170 million to £175 million range, indicating a stronger liquidity position as it prepares for the Chronos build-out. That matters because electrolyser manufacturing remains capital intensive, and companies in the sector are under growing pressure to prove they can scale production without eroding balance sheet strength.

 

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Chronos Is the Core Industrial Bet

 

The Chronos line is central to the investment case. According to H2 View, ITM is positioning Chronos as a lower-cost, higher-performance PEM stack platform that cuts part count by 50% and doubles power density to 2.5 MW per square metre compared with earlier designs. The Sheffield project will add automated capability across catalyst-coated membranes, electrode welding, coatings, stack assembly, and cleanroom operations, while running alongside the company’s existing Trident stack capacity.

That combination suggests the funding is not just about expanding floor space. It is about upgrading manufacturing efficiency and trying to improve the economics of UK-produced electrolysers at a time when global competition is intensifying. The government said the technology could help reduce costs and improve efficiency for green hydrogen deployment, which is essential if hydrogen is to play a larger role in hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy industry, aviation, and shipping.

 

The UK Is Taking a More Interventionist Industrial Approach

 

This deal also reflects a wider policy shift. The UK government is increasingly using public capital to anchor strategic clean technology manufacturing at home, rather than allowing supply chains to migrate entirely to lower-cost jurisdictions. In its announcement, the government linked the investment to energy security, regional industrial jobs, and the goal of building clean power infrastructure with domestic capability.

That matters because the electrolyser market is expanding unevenly. H2 View cited a recent World Bank Group report showing that global electrolyser manufacturing capacity had reached 61 GW, with another 16 GW under construction, while operational installed capacity was only 2.15 GW. In other words, manufacturing ambition is running well ahead of actual project deployment. In that environment, public backing can help selected manufacturers stay competitive long enough to benefit if hydrogen project execution catches up.

 

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What This Means for the Hydrogen Market

 

For ITM Power, the backing improves credibility with project developers, investors, and industrial customers by tying the company more closely to UK industrial strategy. For the government, it creates a clearer domestic manufacturing champion in a sector it views as important for long-term decarbonisation and energy resilience. Dennis Schulz said the support positions ITM as a natural partner for UK green hydrogen projects, while the government framed the investment as part of a broader clean energy jobs and energy security agenda.

The larger implication is that hydrogen manufacturing is becoming a strategic policy contest, not just a technology race. China still holds major cost advantages in clean-tech supply chains, and Western governments are responding more actively with targeted industrial backing. ITM Power’s £86.5 million package is therefore more than a corporate funding update. It is a sign that the UK wants a deeper stake in the manufacturing side of the hydrogen economy, not only in the use of hydrogen once projects are built.