A second hydrogen production facility is being brought forward by energy giant Equinor in the Humber, with the aim of tripling output in the region.
A co-funded bid worth more than £16 million has been put to government, with South Bank sites understood to be under consideration. It could create hundreds of jobs in construction and long-term operations, with huge investment.
The company has yet to commit to a location, but said it could be operational by 2028, with a 1.2 gigawatt capacity - helping drive the decarbonisation of heavy industry such as power and production and chemical processing - as well as aiding domestic heating trials.
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Scunthorpe has already been mooted for such a pilot.
Hydrogen 2 Humber Production Two, as it is referred to, comes in at double initial plans for H2H Saltend, and together they could deliver nearly 20 per cent of Whitehall’s 10GW ambition by 2030, while making the Humber the UK’s foremost hydrogen hub. Both would use natrural gas with carbon capture.
It would dovetail into the Zero Carbon Humber plans for the region, transporting hydrogen and captured emissions, and comes a year after plans to triple Humber production were mooted in international talks.
Dan Sadler, Equinor’s vice president for UK low carbon solutions, said: “This co-funded bid helps to maintain and unlock private investment in low carbon hydrogen projects in the Humber. It will underpin the creation of a world first hydrogen economy in an end-to-end value chain. This scheme will position the UK at the forefront of the race to a hydrogen economy helping transition major local industries towards greener technologies whilst creating opportunities for both local and national businesses.
“H2H Production Two will help establish an ‘at scale’ hydrogen economy in the Humber delivered by world leading, best in class partners which will provide a UK an international lighthouse replicable across the world.”
Equinor is joined in the project by the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which will develop a digital twin of the hydrogen supply chain, identifying opportunities.
With a total value of around £16.4 million, the joint bid into the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund would be 50 per cent privately funded, with the grant supporting the development of the project. Equinor said the ambition was to achieve a final investment decision in 2025.
H2H Saltend was revealed in July 2020, and the Norwegian multinational is also partnering with SSE Thermal on plans for a hydrogen power station at Keadby in North Lincolnshire, as well as a storage facility at Aldbrough, East Yorkshire.
It has also partnered with gas distribution network operator Cadent for the potential hydrogen town trial.
Uniper and Shell are already collaborating on plans for North Killingholme, with the Gigastack project bringing forward green hydrogen - produced with electricity generated by offshore wind instead of natural gas as a feedstock - with a consortium including ITM Power, Orsted and Phillips 66.
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