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One of Semapa’s pillars is investing in businesses with high potential for growth and a strong contribution to sustainability, and its partnership with Ultimate Cell is a clear example of this. This strategy inevitably encompasses investing in new energy solutions, in the increase of energy efficiency and in the reduction of consumptions and emissions.
In this sense, the hydrogen sector has shown a sustained growth trend, in the past years, becoming a strong opportunity for Semapa. The partnership with Ultimate Cell at UTIS provides a new impetus to the development of sustainable projects associated with the production and use of hydrogen.
The partnership between Ultimate Cell and the Semapa Group dates back to 2018, when Secil and Ultimate Cell went ahead with a joint venture aimed at developing technology to cut fuel emissions and consumptions in the cement production process. In 2022, this project reached a new level, with the expansion of the partnership to Ultimate Power, through a direct investment by Semapa.
With this integration, it was possible to merge the development and production of continuous combustion optimisation systems (already made by UTIS) with the development and production of internal combustion systems, as well as with the development and production of hydrogen production systems (operated by Ultimate Power).
The perspectives for growth and enhanced ambition generated by this partnership are emphasised by the heads of both companies. Ricardo Pires, CEO of Semapa, stresses the importance of investing in projects focused on sustainability. “It is with great satisfaction and enthusiasm that we are strengthening this partnership at UTIS. We believe in the importance of investing in projects with a high potential for growth on a global level, which contribute towards sustainability. This is one of those projects”, he stated.
As for Ultimate Cell, a Portuguese company which has invested heavily in the Research and Development (R&D) of projects focused on hydrogen (H2), for the CEO, Vítor Gonçalo, this partnership represents “a strong commitment to energy efficiency increase and to carbon footprint reduction”.
A pioneer in cutting-edge technology, UTIS has developed innovative solutions all over the world, to guarantee energy efficiency, such as the UCHP® (Ultimate Cell Hydrogen Production) systems. These units produce top-quality hydrogen, with a degree of purity up to 99.999%. To do this, they only need electric energy (preferably renewable) and water. There are numerous applications of this product range, such as: P2M (Power to Mobility), P2G (Power to Gas) or P2I (Power to Industry).
The UTIS portfolio also includes UC3 – Ultimate Cell® Continuous Combustion technology. Created and patented by UTIS, this is a disruptive technology that allows for an even more efficient, economic and ecological combustion. This technology is applied in industrial units, namely cement factories, municipal solid waste incineration, glass, paper pulp, steel and large power plants.
Another novel solution that stands out is Ultimate Cell® Internal Combustion, aimed at reducing fuel consumption and polluting gas emissions. It is applied in car, boats, trucks, generators, machines and industrial transports, making them more environment friendly.
These different technological solutions, designed by UTIS for sustainability applications in the industrial and transport sectors, are produced at its plant, in Cascais. With a total area of over 20,000 m2 and a production area of over 4,000 m2, this unit caters for the growing international demand for hydrogen technology. This demand can be satisfied precisely with the increase in production capacity, thanks to the strengthening of the partnership between Semapa and Ultimate Cell.