ScottishPower and Global Energy Group have signed an agreement to explore the feasibility of deploying green hydrogen at the Port of Nigg in Scotland.
ScottishPower, through its recently launched green hydrogen business, has signed an agreement with GEG at its Port of Nigg site to work together to identify processes and machinery that could be powered by green hydrogen.
The partnership will kick off with a feasibility study to assess the full potential range of processes that could be supported by hydrogen and the most efficient and innovative way of delivering an end-to-end hydrogen production facility at the Port of Nigg.
Green hydrogen will potentially be generated at the Nigg site and used to power heavy plant, machinery and vehicles used in the daily operations at the site and to power high temperature, energy intensive processes like the manufacturing of offshore wind components.
The partnership will be one of the first projects led by ScottishPower’s new Green Hydrogen Business, launched in December 2020
Port of Nigg has already delivered some of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms and is expected to play a key role in the fabrication and manufacturing of Scotland’s growing offshore wind sector.
Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “Hydrogen has a potentially very important role to play in ensuring Scotland becomes a net-zero economy by 2045.
“Our abundant natural resources will support the establishment of a thriving hydrogen sector here, in Scotland, and in the emerging global hydrogen market.
“It is clear that hydrogen is not just an energy and emissions reduction opportunity; it could also have an important role in generating new economic growth for Scotland by creating new jobs, and supporting a just transition.
“This is why the Scottish Government is investing an additional £100m over the next five years to help realise this potential.
“The pace of industry-led hydrogen projects in Scotland is accelerating and I am pleased that ScottishPower, through their recently launched Green Hydrogen Business, have signed an agreement with Global Energy Group at their Port of Nigg site to identify how green hydrogen would be generated at site.”
ScottishPower hydrogen director Barry Carruthers said: “Green hydrogen provides a sustainable, scale-able, long-term energy solution and we are looking forward to working with Global Energy Group to develop and deliver green hydrogen for their operations.”
The Port of Nigg is the largest port in the Moray Firth in the north-east of Scotland. Renowned for its deep-water quayside the site has already supported the construction of two of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farms and was recently awarded the marshalling, storage and logistics base for Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, a 1,075MW offshore wind farm in the Firth of Forth.
The Port is expected to play a significant role in future offshore wind development as the UK aims to reach 40GW by 2030.
Global Energy Group CEO Tim Cornelius added: “Green hydrogen presents us with a major opportunity and we are thrilled to begin working with ScottishPower.
“The benefits go beyond lowering our own carbon emissions in our operations at Nigg, but also potentially gives us the ability to support the wider Cromarty Firth and Highland area with their operations and net zero targets.”