Just a few months after obtaining its natural hydrogen exploration permit through its subsidiary TBH2 Aquitaine, the Alsace-based company Terrensis finalized its first round of funding on March 22, 2024. IDROGENIA, a subsidiary of the Mentor Group, makes its first investment here by financially supporting the development of Terrensis with 1.5 million euros. In this initial round, IDROGENIA remains the sole investor. The funds invested by the Nancy-based company will allow Terrensis to begin the acquisition and interpretation of subsurface data in search of natural hydrogen deposits.
“Our entry into Terrensis’ capital is a significant moment for IDROGENIA. Today, we make our first investment in hydrogen, and it’s in the only company to have obtained a natural hydrogen exploration permit in France to date. Therefore, we become shareholders of a truly pioneering company: in France but also globally, where there are barely 40 natural hydrogen exploration-production companies. Our investment in Terrensis also makes sense at a time when questions of transition and energy sovereignty are prevalent in our country,” explains Christophe Hecker, CEO of IDROGENIA.
This partnership is based on a shared ambition and vision between the two entities. IDROGENIA and Terrensis are convinced that natural hydrogen represents a clean and affordable natural resource, thus transitioning hydrogen from an energy carrier to a primary energy source. IDROGENIA, believing in the future of the startup, supports its initial activities with the aim of accompanying future funding rounds.
“This funding round marks an important milestone for Terrensis, just a few weeks after obtaining the first Exclusive Research Permit for natural hydrogen in France. I am delighted with this collaboration starting with IDROGENIA, a subsidiary of the Mentor Group, which goes beyond a simple financial partnership as we share the same desire to valorize this new energy source. I thank the Mentor Group for quickly identifying Terrensis as a pioneering player with an ambitious and bold project,” adds Vincent Bordmann, President of Terrensis.
The Mentor Group, the parent company of IDROGENIA, capitalized at 500 million euros, does not hide its ambitions in the hydrogen sector and plans to invest significantly in it in the coming years.
“We are very pleased to carry out this first operation just a few months after creating IDROGENIA, especially in a sector – natural hydrogen – that will undoubtedly be the next energy revolution. This investment in Terrensis perfectly reflects the mindset of the Mentor Group: strong convictions, agility, a future vision, and a pioneering spirit,” confides Pierre Michaux, President of the Mentor Group.
