SSE and Equinor have secured planning consent for the Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder challenge within the Humber area.
Situated inside an current gasoline storage web site in East Yorkshire, SSE mentioned the Aldbrough improvement is the primary consented hydrogen-to-power challenge within the UK.
The UK authorities lately shortlisted the Aldbrough challenge as a part of its second hydrogen allocation spherical (HAR2) course of.
Underneath the plans, SSE and Equinor will produce hydrogen utilizing low carbon electrical energy and a 35 MW proton change membrane (PEM) electrolyser.
The hydrogen will then be saved in a transformed underground salt cavern for later use in a 100% hydrogen-fired 50 MW open cycle gasoline turbine.
It will allow SSE to export versatile low carbon energy again to the grid at instances of system want, the corporate mentioned.
Aldbrough Hydogen Pathfinder Venture senior challenge supervisor Sally O’Brien mentioned securing planning consent is a “large step in direction of the UK’s low carbon future”.
“By integrating hydrogen manufacturing, storage, and energy era within the Humber, we hope to create new alternatives for funding within the area, whereas advancing nationwide clear energy and decarbonisation objectives,” O’Brien mentioned.
SSE Thermal mentioned a wider hydrogen storage and pipeline challenge on the web site may also profit regional industrial and transport offtakers sooner or later.
The corporate mentioned combining hydrogen storage, manufacturing and energy in a single location will “present an proof base for wider deployment of important versatile hydrogen energy within the UK”.
SSE and Equinor hydrogen plans
The Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder challenge is amongst a number of SSE Thermal and Equinor are growing inside the UK hydrogen sector.
The 2 companies have partnered with Centrica to type the Humber Hydrogen Hub, which includes the Aldbrough challenge alongside the H2H Easington proposal.
SSE can be partnering with EET to develop the 40 MW Gowy Inexperienced Hydrogen challenge within the north west of England, and holds a 50% stake within the H2NorthEast blue hydrogen challenge in Teesside alongside Kellas Midstream.
In Scotland, SSE is investigating methods to decarbonise its Peterhead gasoline energy station in Aberdeenshire as a part of the Acorn challenge, which might contain utilizing hydrogen.
Comparable plans are additionally in improvement for the Keadby energy station in Yorkshire.
In the meantime, Equinor is growing the 600MW H2H Saltend challenge close to Hull.
Nevertheless, SSE and Equinor final yr deserted plans to supply inexperienced hydrogen as a part of their Dogger Financial institution D challenge, a part of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
The cancellation highlights the struggles going through the nascent UK hydrogen sector regardless of latest challenge developments.
Amid these challenges, the UK hydrogen business is looking on the federal government to ship “pragmatism” and coverage certainty because the Labour authorities prepares to stipulate a revamped hydrogen technique later this yr.
