The Scottish government will publish a hydrogen action plan next year that will be supported by £100m in investment over the next five years to support its delivery.
A policy statement issued today confirmed the government will support the growth of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in Scotland with a 5GW target by 2030 and at least 25GW by 2045.
It said 5GW would be enough to power the equivalent of 1.8 million homes.
The statement can be found here.
Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “We are the first country in the UK to publish a Hydrogen Policy Statement that sets out how we can make the most of Scotland’s massive potential in this new sector.
“Hydrogen is rapidly emerging across the international community as a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of the economy and a key element of the energy transition picture.
“Scotland is prepared to play its full part together with other European nations – that’s why we’re publishing this key policy statement today and investing £100m of Scottish government resources to stimulate the sector and its supply chain.”
He added that Scotland has, in abundance, all the raw ingredients necessary for the production of low-cost hydrogen as well as one of the largest concentrations of offshore engineering expertise in the world.
This can harness Scotland’s renewable energy potential in technologies such as wind, wave and tidal power, to produce green hydrogen.
Wheelhouse said: “Indeed, Scotland is one of the best placed nations anywhere in the world to develop competitively priced hydrogen for our own economy’s needs and to generate a surplus in supply to export to other European nations with emerging demand, but insufficient supply to meet their own needs.
“No one fuel or technology is, by itself, the solution to climate change, but hydrogen has the potential to be a very important part of a progressive, decarbonised energy system supporting our transition to net zero in transport, heating and industrial decarbonisation.
“We are committed to supporting this emerging sector to deliver a transformation in how we produce, store and utilise energy and to maximising the economic benefits that the production of hydrogen can bring.”
Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association chief executive Nigel Holmes said: “We welcome this Hydrogen Policy statement which underlines the opportunity for Scotland to be the leading hydrogen nation, and puts us on the right path to deliver net zero by 2045.
“This ambition builds on the experience and lessons learned with projects in Aberdeen, Fife, Orkney, and the Western Isles.
“Islands and ports will be hubs for energy innovation, bringing together large scale renewables for green hydrogen production.
“The identified capacity of 25GW of electrolysis by 2045 will produce 126TWh per year of green hydrogen across Scotland, with 32TWh to deliver Scotland’s net zero target and 94TWh of green hydrogen for export.”
Scottish Renewables senior policy manager Helen Melone said: “We welcome the publication of the Scottish government’s Hydrogen Assessment and Hydrogen Policy Statement and their recognition that green hydrogen produced from renewable energy is the future.
“With 25% of Europe’s wind resource Scotland has the potential to become a global leader in green hydrogen, delivering 310,000 jobs and £25bn of GVA by 2045.
“The Scottish government has committed to working in partnership with industry to maximise the economic and environmental benefits which hydrogen can deliver on the road to net-zero.
“Scotland’s renewable energy industry, and in particular its offshore and onshore wind sectors, look forward to delivering green hydrogen as part of the just energy transition we must make to tackle the carbon emissions which cause climate change.”