Energy giant’s plans for second hydrogen production site in area
THE SECOND SITE COULD BE ADDED TO SALTEND PROJECT
ENERGY company Equinor has submitted a co-funded bid worth more than £16m into government for a second major low carbon hydrogen production facility in the Humber,
If given the go-ahead, the Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) Production 2 project could be operational by 2028.
The facility would produce low carbon hydrogen for use across multiple sectors, including heavy industry, power production, the manufacture of chemicals and new forms of domestic heating technology.
A final site has been to be agreed for the new facility. However, it will be based in the Humber area.
Combined with Equinor’s flagship 600-megawatt H2H Saltend project on the North Bank, the two projects alone could deliver 18 per cent of the government’s 10GW target for hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
Company bosses say that would make the Humber the UK’S foremost hydrogen hub.
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 also position the UK at the forefront of the race to a hydrogen economy, helping to transition major local industries towards greener technologies while creating opportunities for local and national businesses.
“H2H Production 2 will help establish an ‘at scale’ hydrogen economy in the Humber delivered by world-leading, best-in-class partners.”
The joint bid has seen Equinor team up with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) which is developing a digital version of the developing hydrogen supply chain.
It aims to identify opportunities for the UK manufacturing supply chain, supporting local and national companies and helping them to take advantage of one of the world’s first advanced low-carbon hydrogen economies.
Valued at £16.4m, the bid hopes to tap into the government’s net zero hydrogen fund, which offers co-funding for development costs linked to deploying low carbon hydrogen production products over the coming decade.
It would be 50 percent privatelyfunded with a successful grant supporting the project’s development ahead of a final investment decision in 2025.
Equinor is already one of 14 regional firms around the Humber working together on plans to make the estuary a net zero industrial cluster by 2040.
It is also planning to develop a 100 per cent hydrogen power station at Keadby in Lincolnshire and a hydrogen storage facility at Aldborough in East Yorkshire.