From co-founding Europe’s first hydrogen certification scheme to advising governments and private companies in more than 50 countries, Hinicio marks two decades of contribution to industrial decarbonization.
In 2006, a group of friends in Brussels founded Hinicio with a shared vision: that hydrogen would play an important role in the transition toward a decarbonized economy. Two decades later, that vision has grown into a global firm with services delivered in +50 countries. What began as a boutique consultancy specialized in renewable hydrogen is today an international firm focused on the decarbonization of the hardest-to-abate sectors.
That journey is reflected in concrete figures: +200 experts of diverse nationalities who have worked at Hinicio, offices in Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Santiago, and Bogotá, more than 350 clients supported, and over 1,000 studies in all continents, advising governments, multilateral organizations, investors, banks, industrial players, and project developers in the energy, transport and mobility, and heavy industry sectors.
Building the foundations of a new industry
In 2014, Hinicio co-founded CertifHy, the first European guarantee of origin certification scheme for hydrogen. Since its creation, this framework has been an essential instrument for the development of the European hydrogen market. In parallel, Hinicio has supported companies in accessing European funds aimed at financing innovative projects in renewable energy and renewable hydrogen, in line with the European Union’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Also in 2015, Hinicio opened its first office in Latin America, in Bogotá, anticipating the strategic role the region would come to play in global decarbonization. Afterwards, the firm expanded in 2020 its presence with a second office in Santiago, Chile, strengthening its capacity to support the development of the hydrogen industry and its derivatives across the continent.
Since then, Hinicio has contributed to the design of regulatory frameworks and roadmaps, supporting governments in Colombia, Panama, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The firm has also played an active role in the development of national hydrogen associations, including as a co-founder of the Chilean and Colombian hydrogen associations. Across the region, Hinicio has delivered over 250 projects for clients spanning energy and power systems, renewable energy, oil and gas, heavy industry, equipment suppliers, transport and mobility, finance and investment, public policy, international cooperation, and research and development.
In 2021, Hinicio launched ANDREA, a modeling and optimization tool for Power-to-X projects. ANDREA enables companies and developers to design and optimize integrated systems, while incorporating the technical, regulatory, and market constraints of each specific context. Its development reflects Hinicio’s evolution toward increasingly integrated solutions, capable of supporting decarbonization projects in their full technical and financial complexity.
What comes next
In 2023, Hinicio joined the Vulcain Engineering Group, a partnership that combines the strategic depth and market knowledge accumulated over two decades with the engineering capabilities of a leading European group. This integration significantly expands Hinicio’s capacity to address decarbonization challenges of greater scale and complexity.
“Over the past twenty years, Hinicio has built its identity around hydrogen, and that expertise remains our foundation as we tackle a wider set of decarbonization challenges. But as we look ahead, we are making a shift in how we think about the market: instead of starting with the technology [hydrogen and its derivatives] and asking how much needs to be supplied, we start with the customers and ask what they actually need to do. In practice, this means asking first: how does a fertilizer producer need to source cleaner inputs for its process? How does a shipping company need to move cargo across long routes with near-zero emissions? How does an airline need to fuel long-haul flights sustainably? The energy carrier, whether hydrogen, ammonia, or synthetic fuel, becomes the answer to those questions, not the starting point. ” says Hans Kulenkampff, CEO of Hinicio.
This demand-first lens also changes how Hinicio will think about scale. Rather than projecting how much hydrogen the world could absorb, the right question is how much decarbonization each customer actually needs to achieve, and by when. That distinction grounds market sizing in real operational constraints and real transition timelines, not in supply-side ambitions. This shift, from supply to demand, will guide Hinicio’s next chapter.
We will also apply value innovation by deliberately choosing what to reduce, what to raise, and what to create, focusing on hybrid decarbonization, where molecules, electrons, and business cases come together. We will also embrace AI responsibly, leveraging it for efficiency, developing agents, and exploring new agentic services, while never losing sight of human judgment, trust, and accountability,” says Hans.
Looking ahead, the firm continues to expand its portfolio of solutions, integrating complementary decarbonization technologies and supporting clients at every stage of the project lifecycle, from pre-feasibility studies through to the final investment decision (FID).
“We have 20 years of legacy to be proud of, staying close to our clients, protecting our quality, learning fast, and delivering complex work together as one global team. That foundation is what will carry us through the next 20 years,” says Hans.
