First Hydrogen Corp. announced gas distribution network, Wales & West Utilities (WWU) will begin trials later this month of the Company's hydrogen fuel cell powered light commercial vehicle ("FCEV"). First Hydrogen's FCEV will operate from WWU's Swansea depot, as part of the business' 1,300 fleet vehicles, which are deployed across Wales and the southwest of England.

The FCEV will support network engineers to make customer call outs and undertake repair and maintenance work. The trial will showcase the Company's FCEV advantage over battery electric vehicles in range (630 km/400 mi), payload towing and fast refueling capabilities. The FCEV is the first-of-its-kind to be deployed in Wales and supported by green hydrogen producer, Protium Green Solutions and hydrogen services company, Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions, which will help develop a hydrogen ecosystem to support WWU's operations.ied Market Research reports the global hydrogen vehicle market was valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach USD 57.9 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 43%.ales & West Utilities provides gas supply and connections to more than 7.5 million customers in Wales and southwest England.

The gas distribution network is committed to developing cleaner and greener energy solutions and has recently announced a proposal to develop a major hydrogen pipeline across South Wales. Creating a hydrogen ecosystem. Until now, First Hydrogen's F CEV trials have been located near existing hydrogen fuel stations.

This trial will demonstrate how partnerships can develop refuelling in areas that lack infrastructure. Using Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions' mobile refuelling service and green H2 fuel from Protium Green Solutions, enables WWU to refuel close to its depot in Wales rather than travelling to a public station. Green hydrogen supplied from Protium's Pioneer 1 site in Wales is produced by electrolysis using renewable power.

Pioneer 1 has been operational since early 2023 and the hydrogen it produces has already been used in several transport trials. Protium will have Pioneer 2, a second, significantly larger electrolyser, operational later in 2024 to meet the growing demand for green hydrogen in Wales and beyond.