by Angus Young
Supporters of plans for the UK’s first hydrogen cluster around the Humber say it could be an economic gamechanger for the region.
The proposed Humber Hydrogen network initially connecting five sites on either side of the estuary is being backed by four major energy companies together with partner organisations and local MPs.
Three of the sites are in Holderness with major investment earmarked at each one.
At Easington, there are plans for hydrogen production as well as using it to provide power to industrial consumers at the long-established gas terminal.
At Aldbrough, new storage facilities are proposed next to existing gas caverns deep underground.
And at Saltend, more hydrogen production is envisaged alongside power conversion and making hydrogen available to industries based at the chemicals park.
Now the newly launched partnership is encouraging stakeholders to lobby ministers ahead of the publication of the first-ever national hydrogen strategy and the start of a bidding process to build-out the sector’s first industrial cluster.
The Humber is expected to face competition from a rival initiative in the North West to secure a promised £500 million investment by the government.
Speaking at the Humber Hydrogen partnership’s official launch in Hull, John Wilson, head of hydrogen clusters at National Gas, said the project would safeguard up to 4,000 local jobs in key industries such as chemicals and steel, create around 700 apprenticeships and unlock up to £15 billion of investment across the UK’s emerging hydrogen sector.
“All of this is within our reach. The project partners are ready, local industry is ready. We just need the Government to provide certainty for us to begin to deliver.
“Next year it will be 60 years since North Sea gas was first landed at Easington. With Humber Hydrogen, we have the opportunity to create a new type of energy without being limited by the finite nature of fossil fuels.”
It’s envisaged hydrogen would be used as an alternative fuel to gas, helping to decarbonise power generation and industries such as manufacturing, steel and chemicals where electrification is traditionally difficult.
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said there was cross-party support from all the region’s MPs for the project.
“Humber Hydrogen provides a real opportunity to build on the great number of renewable energy schemes we have seen being developed here over the last few years and I don’t know of a better area in the world with the assets we have here in the Humber to make this happen.
“It has the support of both Conservative and Labour MPs in this area because they can see it makes absolute sense to secure and create thousands of excellent, hi-tech, well-paid jobs.
“I know the Government is not opposed to this, it just needs to move more quickly.”
Humber Freeport chairman Finbarr Dowling said: “My message to the Government is that the Humber can deliver on this. It has before and it keeps on doing it.”