Schroders Greencoat acquires stake in Meld Energy

Schroders Greencoat will apply its established expertise in transition infrastructure, asset operation, and the hydrogen market to support Meld from late stage development through construction and operations.

The transaction builds upon Schroders Greencoat’s strong position in green hydrogen as the UK’s largest investment manager in the space with over 300 MW under development. Three projects totalling 55 MW backed by Schroders Greencoat, through its joint venture Green Hydrogen Energy Company (GHECO) with Carlton Power, were successful in the UK Government’s first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1). A final investment decision (FID) is expected on the first of these projects at Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria), before the end of the 2025.

Meld Energy’s flagship project - the Saltend Green Hydrogen Hub at Saltend Chemicals Park, Hull - is a planned 100 MW electrolytic hydrogen facility with planning consent, designed to help decarbonise one of the UK’s most energy intensive industrial clusters.

Schroders Greencoat continues to build out its development capabilities alongside its core operating asset strategies, including the recent appointment of a three person specialist development team previously at Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.

James Samworth, Co-Head of M&A, Schroders Greencoat, said: “Alongside our investments in energy transition assets, Schroders Greencoat is increasing its backing of development platforms. Our investment expertise and considerable experience of running assets creates a compelling advantage in complex markets, in turn unlocking unique opportunities for our clients. Meld is one of those platforms – they are developing a number of projects in highly strategic locations with strong fundamentals. We believe we can achieve big things together.”

Chris Smith, Founder and CEO of Meld Energy, commented: “At Meld Energy we have always focused on getting the fundamentals right for large scale hydrogen and clean fuel production and Schroders Greencoat’s investment is a massive boost to our project ambitions in the UK. Schroders Greencoat brings expert capital, unique in-house engineering understanding, and a long track record of working constructively with industrial partners and government. Their experience, expertise, and investment is a strong vote of confidence in our team and in Saltend’s potential to help decarbonise the Humber. Together we will be able to accelerate development at Saltend and across our project pipeline.”

World Kinect Corp., a Fortune 100 company and one of the world’s largest fuel distributors and traders, remains a shareholder in Meld Energy. World Kinect has been an investor in Meld since 2022.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/10122025/schroders-greencoat-acquires-stake-in-meld-energy/