Construction of a new hydrogen facility in Clydebank which will fuel HGVs and local buses while tackling climate change has been given the green light.
Development of the plastics-to hydrogen facility and hydrogen refuelling station, which will take plastics which would otherwise be sent to landfill and convert it into electricity, will be built on the vacant land at Rothesay Dock next year and is expected to open in 2024/25.
The proposals will also include a thermal conversion plant that will convert waste plastic into hydrogen electricity, before being exported to the local electricity grid.
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The facility will also provide the opportunity to generate heat in the future which could be used within a district heat network to supply heat to people in the local area.
The application was brought before the planning committee on Wednesday morning.
Director of Playfair Scotland, Donald Anderson, said: “This will see the site developed for hydrogen production which will have an important role to play in Scotland’s energy mix and to help meet climate change targets.
“Proposals take plastics which might otherwise be sent to landfill or be incinerated and use it to generate hydrogen and electricity. The hydrogen produced by the facility will be exported to local market and/or be provided to the refuelling station which forms part of the development.
“The hydrogen produced by the facility is most likely to be used by HGVs and buses although this would depend on bus operators' fuel choices at the time. As you will know hydrogen vehicles do not produce any harmful emissions to the atmosphere and provide significant benefits to the air quality and environmental health.
“These proposals will support 100 jobs during the construction period and 24 full time jobs we estimate long term.”
Work on the site which includes a feedstock building, a thermal conversion chamber, hydrogen production plant, containment walls and a refuelling station is expected to begin next year with the potential opening of the site set for 2024/25.
Following the presentation of the application, proposals were agreed unanimously subject to conditions.
