A consortium of major energy companies has unveiled plans to develop what might become the UK’s first integrated hydrogen transport and storage network, centred on the Humber industrial region.
The project — known as Humber Hydrogen — brings together National Gas, Centrica, Equinor and SSE Thermal in a joint bid to secure around £500 million in UK government funding.
Humber Hydrogen includes the Humber Hydrogen Pipeline and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage, which will submit proposals under the Government’s Hydrogen Transport and Storage Business Model processes. This is a competitive process that will determine where the UK’s first integrated hydrogen network is built. The funding decision, expected to be worth around £500 million, would establish the infrastructure that will underpin large-scale hydrogen deployment in the UK.
An announcement from SSE said the companies were combining their expertise in hydrogen transport, production, usage and storage to develop a first-of-its-kind coordinated hydrogen network in Britain, connecting projects across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire including locations such as Aldbrough, Easington, Saltend, Immingham and Keadby to link hydrogen production with industrial customers and power stations.
Several large-scale hydrogen projects are proposed in the Humber, including H2H Easington and H2H Saltend hydrogen production plants, and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage. Up to 3GW of hydrogen could be produced by Easington and Saltend combined. The proposed network would also be ideally located to connect to a national hydrogen transmission network being developed by National Gas, transporting hydrogen across Britain to industrial clusters.
Industrial decarbonisation
As the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial cluster this infrastructure would also support industrial decarbonisation in the Humber by enabling switching from fossil fuels to hydrogen in energy-intensive but hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy manufacturing, chemicals, steel and power generation. In addition, it would support production of high-value products such as ammonia and the creation of a sustainable aviation fuel industry.
“The Humber is integral to the UK’s clean power and economic growth missions and becoming the country’s first Hydrogen network will help to unlock its potential. The region is home to a wide range of projects across the hydrogen production and supply chain, with these projects crucial to delivering skills and jobs opportunities in the area – that is why we’ve come together as Humber Hydrogen to drive progress forward.”
Ian Radley, Chief Commercial Officer at National Gas said:
“We believe the Humber is the obvious choice to be the home of Britain’s first hydrogen network. Nowhere else in Britain can match what it offers in industrial demand, infrastructure, supply chains, geological storage and skilled people who can unlock Britain’s clean power potential. Together with our partners we’re bringing our expertise in transporting, manufacturing and storing hydrogen to keep the industrial heart of Northeast England beating.”
Ian Livingston, Head of UK Hydrogen & Ammonia at Equinor, said:
“We’re proud to be part of the efforts to bring hydrogen infrastructure to the Humber and kick-start a new low-carbon economy in the UK’s most carbon intensive region. The geology, concentration of industry and existing skills base make this the natural home for the UK’s first hydrogen transport and storage network.”
