A subsidiary of Fusion Fuel Green, Fusion Fuel USA, has named Zachary Steele and Jason Baran as Co-Presidents.
Fusion Fuel’s Executive Committee will also include them. Both Steele and Baran will be tasked with establishing Fusion Fuel’s commercial presence in the United States and expanding the company’s business development team.
Steele and Baran were previously the CEO and CFO of Vancouver-based Pacific Traverse Energy, a developer of energy infrastructure. It was through their efforts that Kitimat, British Columbia’s first majority indigenous-owned LNG export facility was developed, and it will be one of the world’s cleanest, utilizing renewable energy sources, the Cedar LNG Project. Cedar LNG’s gross project cost is $2.4 billion, and it is expected to produce 3 million metric tons of LNG per year once it receives final investment decision (FID) in 2023. Both Steele and Baran were on the board of Cedar LNG as a board member and CFO. As of June 2021, Pembina Pipeline Corporation (PPC) had purchased PTE’s stake in Cedar.
“We are thrilled to be joining Fusion Fuel and to be tasked with building our business here in North America,” offered Steele. “Many parts of the continent are extremely well-suited for our integrated solar-to-hydrogen solution, and we are excited to stake our claim to what we believe will ultimately become a very large market for green hydrogen.”
Baran added, “In a little over a year as a public company, Fusion Fuel has already made significant strides, having validated the performance of its best-in-class electrolysis solution, commenced the development of its fully-automated production facility, and signed a contract for the first third-party sale of its technology. It’s an honor to be joining the team at this critical juncture, especially at a time when both the public and private sectors are starting to look at green hydrogen as a key pillar of their decarbonization strategies.”
Jeffrey Schwarz, Chairman of Fusion Fuel, commented on the appointment: “Zach and Jason represent key additions for the company as we continue to execute on our strategy to establish Fusion Fuel as a global player in the hydrogen space. They bring an extensive track record as senior executives in building multi-disciplinary teams and developing complex businesses across the energy sector, most recently with their successful exit from the Cedar LNG project. Their experience in the LNG space is particularly relevant as many of the large North American LNG players have begun to look at ammonia and hydrogen as part of a broader transition to net zero by 2050. We believe Zach and Jason are extremely well-positioned to help us achieve our vision and we are confident they will not only be instrumental in building a meaningful presence in North America but will also serve as a valuable resource for our commercial teams globally.”
