UK-Canadian outfit First Hydrogen has submitted two green hydrogen projects for the initial round of funding through the UK Government’s Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) Strand 1 programme.
The programme, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is part of the UK Government’s initiatives to promote the production of home-grown green hydrogen and is a means to achieving the ambitious 10GW of domestic production by 2030, of which at least 5GW will come from electrolytic sources.
The company’s two projects will have an initial capacity of 40MW each and are to be situated in Carrington, in Greater Manchester, and in the Thames Estuary area.
The sites are in two regions with hydrogen growth strategies, with letters of support received for both projects from leading strategic stakeholders and the landowners for the projects in the regions.
The Thames Estuary Growth Board (TEGB) issued a letter supporting the application for Strand 1 funding, highlighting the regional demand across the Estuary for green hydrogen, endorsed in the TEGB Hydrogen Route Map document.
The Strand 1 submissions are the first stage in obtaining financial support from the UK Government, providing grant funding to undertake Front-End Engineering and Design work, planning, and will progress the projects to the pre-construction phase.
Additional “Strands” will provide support for construction and business model support.
The two projects in Carrington and the Thames Estuary will, once operational, provide First Hydrogen’s automotive customers with green hydrogen needs to operate their fleets of First Hydrogen vehicles.
Nicholas Wrigley (pictured), executive chairman of First Hydrogen Group, the two sites will ultimately supply automotive customers with a guaranteed supply of green hydrogen, which is critical to the adoption of hydrogen mobility and creating a zero-emission transport sector.
“First Hydrogen recognises the role it will play in achieving these targets and meeting fleet demand and building upon the first submission, is working to identify additional production sites for future funding rounds,” he added.