Energy developer Getech has secured exclusive rights to pursue green hydrogen and new onshore wind and solar capacity at the Port of Shoreham on the south coast of England.
The agreement, signed with Getech’s subsidiary H2 Green, grants a two-year legally binding right to develop the renewable energy hub.
The project will initially focus on the provision of green hydrogen and renewable electricity to the Port’s fleet of 39 heavy forklift trucks and 12 heavy goods vehicles.
Green Hydrogen will be sourced by a “scalable green hydrogen production, storage and refuelling facility, the economics of which will be optimised by its integration with new solar and wind electricity generation capacity”, said the outfit.
The hub will then be expanded to facilitate the decarbonisation of more than 800 heavy goods vehicles that enter Shoreham Port daily, and to provide fuel to port and coastal marine vessels.
In addition to the Port’s fuel and energy demand, Industries operating in and adjacent to the Port, including gas-fired power generation, timber & steel handling and water treatment projects, are also potential customers for the hub’s hydrogen, renewable power, and the by-products of fuel generation, such as oxygen and heat.
H2 Green and Shoreham Port will now complete detailed planning and scheduling for each element of the renewable energy hub.
Shoreham Port Authority has committed in principle to convert all suitable and commercially viable port vehicles to utilise both hydrogen and renewable energy produced by the hub.
Following finalisation of engineering designs and receipt of planning approvals, the parties expect to move to a structured series of final investment decisions in the second half of 2022.
Getech chief executive Jonathan Copus said: “By bringing together the building blocks of green hydrogen production, renewable power investment, ammonia import, and mobilising a wide range of stakeholders, H2 Green will provide the most flexible, reliable, and cost-effective green energy solution for the Port, its customers and the wider region.
“H2Green’s Shoreham green energy development plan showcases a scalable path for the decarbonisation of large-volume customers in marine and land transport settings. Getech intends to replicate this model across the UK and internationally.”