Bowling Green Secures Major Hydrogen Technology Venture, Boosting Clean Energy Innovation
By WBKO News Staff and Adam Ferguson
Published: December 8, 2025, 8:22 AM CST
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Bowling Green has landed a significant new player in the clean energy technology sector with the official launch of UFS ARK, a pioneering company focused on hydrogen safety technology. This venture signals a major advancement for Kentucky’s positioning in the global transition toward renewable energy.
A Cutting-Edge Partnership in Hydrogen Safety
UFS ARK represents a strategic collaboration between United Fiber Sensing (UFS), a Netherlands-based technology firm, and OgMentum ARK, which established its U.S. headquarters in Bowling Green earlier this year. The company’s primary mission is to develop advanced fiber-optic sensors capable of detecting hydrogen leaks in critical environments, including pipelines, fueling stations, and industrial facilities.
Kent Murphy, CEO of OgMentum ARK, emphasized the crucial role sensors play in enhancing hydrogen safety. “You can improve anything if you can’t measure it. You have to measure it first, so sensors play an important role in everything. Hydrogen certainly moved along much more rapidly in safety of how it’s being used, but the sensors add an additional level of safety on top of that,” Murphy said.
Hydrogen’s Growing Role in the Renewable Energy Economy
Experts view hydrogen as a versatile and clean energy source with expanding applications in transportation, energy storage, and industrial processes. As the hydrogen economy grows, ensuring the safe production, storage, and transport of hydrogen becomes increasingly critical.
Remco Nieuwland, founder of United Fiber Sensing, highlighted the urgency of effective leak detection. “We are evolving in the hydrogen economy. We are using hydrogen as a renewable energy source, so the amount of hydrogen which we are producing which we need to store and transport is increasing and increasing. The amount of hydrogen in a single location becomes quite a bit and can potentially become quite dangerous if you don’t know there’s a leakage,” Nieuwland explained.
Workforce Development and Education Partnerships
UFS ARK is partnering with Western Kentucky University (WKU) to prepare the next generation of scientists and technicians in hydrogen sensing, fiber-optics technology, and advanced manufacturing. This collaboration aims to build a skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of industries that barely existed a decade ago.
WKU President Timothy Caboni expressed enthusiasm about the partnership’s potential impact. “WKU is proud to help train the next generation of chemical and fiber-optic technologists right here in Bowling Green. This partnership accelerates our mission of regional transformation—bringing together industry, students, faculty, staff, and research to build an innovation economy that will serve Kentucky for decades,” Caboni said.
Economic and Job Growth in Warren County
UFS ARK plans to commence development, manufacturing, and commercialization of its hydrogen detection systems from WKU’s Innovation Campus within the next year. The company expects to create dozens of high-tech jobs, spanning roles from assemblers to engineers and office support staff.
Warren County Judge Executive Doug Gorman praised the announcement, saying, “UFS ARK’s decision to launch in Warren County reflects our region’s commitment to future-focused industries. We are building an economy powered by innovation—companies that not only bring high-tech jobs but also advance the technologies shaping our world. This is the kind of investment that secures long-term opportunity for our residents and for Kentucky.”
OgMentum President Jake Weise added that the company supports career growth, noting, “It’s a clean manufacturing environment, so we’re going to have an assortment of jobs. Anywhere from assemblers to engineers and to office support, but the nice thing about this is that we can scale that. So, someone who’s an assembler today, they could aspire to be a technician or engineer in the future, and we want to support that, and the university wants to support that.”
Bowling Green’s Emerging Role in Advanced Technology
The establishment of UFS ARK is part of a broader wave of advanced technology investments in Bowling Green, further solidifying the region’s reputation as a hub for clean energy innovation and high-tech manufacturing.
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