Getech broadens focus on the global green revolution

Joining the United Nations’ Race to Zero was an obvious next step for Getech Group (LON: GTC | FRA: 3AS), a company so heavily involved in green technology.

The company’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030 is clearly in keeping with its recently completed acquisition of hydrogen network developer H2 Green. Indeed, this collaboration is already performing excellently. Most recently, H2 Green entered into a strategic agreement to supply green hydrogen to UK-based Element Two.

On top of that, Getech is also maximising its exposure to the massive sustainability trend. The firm is repurposing technology it originally developed for oil and gas companies for use in other fast-growing green sectors.

With all this in play, signs so far point to a compelling opportunity for investors.

Seizing opportunities in hydrogen

Element Two is a hydrogen refuelling station developer and hydrogen fuel retailer. It intends to deploy more than 800 pumps onto the UK network by 2027 and a whopping 2,000 by 2030. This makes it a perfect pairing for H2 Green, with its focus on regional hydrogen hubs.

The pair will work together to align production and distribution strategies, accelerating the creation of the UK’s very first hydrogen network.

Speaking with ValueTheMarkets, Getech’s chief executive Jonathan Copus explained that the deal offers an opportunity for the two groups to combine their expertise and knowledge and focus on the de-carbonization of commercial transport fleets.

“I think this is what the hydrogen economy needs. It needs the momentum of people establishing assets and moving forward and building tangible, real bits of this hydrogen value chain”.

Given the UK’s commercial diesel market was valued in the billions in 2019, the scope of the opportunity is massive. As Copus explains, this market needs to be “completely decarbonised”, creating a major opportunity for alternative fuels like hydrogen.

Strong and ambitious leadership

Clearly, Getech’s chief executive has ambitious plans. What’s really exciting for investors, however, is that he also has the know-how to achieve them.

Copus brings a wealth of experience and expertise into the business. His background is as a geologist. Copus worked in the oil and gas industry before departing in the early 2000s. He then moved to equity markets where he “built up multiple number one rated energy equity teams”.

Copus returned to the energy industry after around a decade and joined Getech in 2016. Here, he quickly got to work on building a product-focused business, providing geoscience data and geospatial technology to a whole host of industries.

And now, following a recent £6.25 million equity raise, the firm has the funds to develop its existing product portfolio and even expand into brand new areas under Copus’ leadership.

Adapting to a changing world

With a focus on energy transition, Getech is taking steps to translate products in its portfolio that were initially built for oil and gas customers to suit other industries as well.

A great example of this repurposing is in Getech’s ability to identify potential sites for geothermal operations. As Copus explained, “oil and gas customers are very interested in the temperature within the Earth’s crust”, which controls hydrocarbon maturity. But “what you’re really looking at there is a global temperature map”.

Such a map is obviously useful to companies using geothermal energy, the heat from the earth, to do things like generate electricity and heat buildings.

Geothermal sets itself apart from alternatives like wind and solar. Unlike these, it offers “a predictable base load of energy” not subject to wind and sunlight. With its ability to “identify and rank thermal opportunities”,Getech could therefore help “move the geothermal industry along,” Copus said.

Indeed, Copus said the firm is “well positioned to build a strong position in this market”. He added that he expects the geothermal space to “grow materially in the very near future”.

Likewise, technology that Getech originally developed for oil and gas also has utility in the mining of strategic minerals. Copus noted the company’s ability to provide insights for “areas such as rare earths and battery metals”.

Copus said information on the company’s oil and gas products “is of great value” to firms in this space. There is “an opportunity here to take existing products and translate them into the language of mining”. He pointed out the “great recurring revenue and service-based opportunity” there.

The electrification trend and the rise of electric vehicles (“EVs”) have boosted demand in this area. Copper and lithium are particularly important themes for Getech, Copus explained, with both playing a huge role in electrification.

Lithium is obviously hugely important here, with lithium-ion batteries the most commonly used for EVs. In the vein, Getech is already working with lithium explorers. Copus described these potential partners as “technology innovators” and “great opportunities to zone in on disruptive opportunities in the lithium market”.

Going with the customer

Diversification is a key element to Getech’s success. As we’ve already seen, there’s the hydrogen aspect with H2 Green. On top of that are geothermal energy and strategic minerals, including lithium mining for electric vehicles.

However, Copus stressed that the firm is not trying to do “a bit of everything”. Instead, the company is working to see where its existing skills, technologies, and products “map onto the landscape”.

Indeed, he pointed out that customers in Getech’s new markets are often “the same customers we were working with in our traditional energy work”. Many traditional energy companies “are going through their own energy transition and diversifying their spending”.

Embracing electrification and the green revolution puts the firm on course to benefit not just from global trends, but also the kinds of changes its customers are making.

Year-to-date, the company’s shares are already up more than 80%, having suffered amid the pandemic. However, with this latest transition and growing momentum behind the green energy transition, the share price could still have a way to go.

Plus, the firm’s commitment to carbon neutrality is yet another signal it is preparing for the future.

Clearly, exciting things are in store for Getech, a company truly embracing change.