Cobalt Water Global Opens European HQ in the Netherlands, and UK subsidiary to Expand Nitrous Oxide Emissions Abatement in Wastewater Treatment

New York, NY – July 9, 2026 – Cobalt Water Global, a developer of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions intelligence solutions for wastewater utilities, today announced its European expansion through the opening of subsidiaries Cobalt Water NL B.V. and Cobalt Water UK Ltd in the Netherlands and the UK, respectively. The new entities will support projects and partnerships across Europe as net zero mandates and regulation drive demand for N2O monitoring and mitigation from wastewater treatment.

Expanding into Europe’s Water Innovation Hub and Growing UK Impact

Cobalt Water Global’s new center of operations at WaterCampus Leeuwarden in the Netherlands connects the company to a collaborative network that includes research institutions, water authorities, engineering firms, and emerging water technology ventures. By embedding within this ecosystem, Cobalt Water Global aims to accelerate research and development, expand commercial deployments, and strengthen partnerships across the European continent. The company has worked closely with national and regional partners, including the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), regional Northern Development Agency (NOM), and the municipality of Leeuwarden to formalize its European presence, secure early support, and begin building its local team.

“The Netherlands is where I started working on N₂O back in 2009. There has been interest in N₂O there since, and even a national program to reduce N₂O emissions from wastewater treatment plants, the Lachgas Versnelling Programma, which we are supporting,” said Jose Porro, Founder and CEO of Cobalt Water Global. “Between the experience of working there, the demand for N₂O solutions and the ecosystem for N₂O reduction, there was no better place to establish a base from which to scale our operations and impact.” 

The Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), focused on the provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, welcomes the arrival of the American company. “A few years ago, we only invested in Dutch companies,” said NOM investment manager Betty Postma. “Now we also invest in foreign companies if we see strong potential for the Northern Netherlands.” Reinder de Jong, Project Manager for Internationalization at NOM added, “That potential is evident in Cobalt Water Global. It’s great that a company that uses AI to help make the sector more sustainable is coming to the North.”

Over the next several years, Cobalt Water Global plans to expand its European workforce, launch long-term collaborative R&D initiatives, and significantly increase the number of treatment plants deploying its technology — with the goal of materially increasing total tons of N₂O emissions reduced annually. 

The opening of a UK entity will support ongoing and new work with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Scottish Water, as well as with several other UK water companies. Cobalt’s new agreements in the UK are markers of Cobalt’s ongoing progress in deploying its N₂O emissions intelligence technology at wastewater treatment facilities in other parts of Europe. These deals are expansions of established relationships that Cobalt has been building since 2021. With several new European contracts including work in Germany, Spain, and France, the company’s expansion to meet growing demand across Europe is timely.

Tackling an Overlooked Triple Threat 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nitrous oxide (N2O) has 273 times the global warming potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over a 100-year period. Despite its climate impact, ozone depletion effects, and negative implications for air quality and human health — a triple threat that makes the gas a “superpollutant”— N2O has traditionally received little global attention. With the social cost of N2O measured at a whopping $44,000 per tonne, the need to address this superpollutant is urgent. 

The UN Environment Programme in its Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment now frames N2O as an actionable climate and ozone risk, with abatement pathways that are technically and operationally feasible. It has reported that ambitious action to reduce N₂O emissions could help prevent up to 20 million premature deaths globally by 2050 and avoid the equivalent of up to 235 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2100.

Furthermore, a Princeton study found wastewater plants emit nearly twice the N₂O previously estimated, contributing 8.1% of U.S. nitrous oxide emissions.