The Business and Energy Secretary will meet with industry today to accelerate private investment in hydrogen as a clean energy source.
At the Hydrogen Investment Summit later today Energy Minister Greg Hands will announce the opening of the joint allocation round for electrolytic (green) hydrogen projects.
Under this joint round, funding is available from both the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, and the Hydrogen Business Model (HBM).
In recent months, the government has opened applications for the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, published the Hydrogen Investor Roadmap, and set out details for the Hydrogen Business Model and Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will also announce the appointment of Jane Toogood as the UK’s first Hydrogen Champion.
Kwarteng said: “The UK’s hydrogen sector is open for business. With the right investment, we can unlock the enormous potential of hydrogen by reindustrialising our economy and ending our dependency on expensive fossil fuels.
“The new funding represents an important step forward in realising this potential, and I look forward to working with Jane Toogood as our new Hydrogen Champion, ensuring industry and government are aligned to accelerate hydrogen production as a clean, home grown energy source – boosting our energy security and creating jobs.”
Toogood said: “The Government has ambitious plans for the UK to ramp up hydrogen technology. Hydrogen deployment as a clean energy source is one of the key solutions to help the UK reach its net zero targets and I strongly believe there is an opportunity to accelerate this, working collaboratively across industry and government to land projects and infrastructure on a timeline that serves stakeholder and customers’ needs.
“At Johnson Matthey, we see that demand for hydrogen ecosystems globally is being taken up across industry, transportation and the power sector at a rapid pace, especially with the increased focus on energy security.
“As the UK’s Hydrogen Champion, working with industry and Government, I hope to ensure we make progress in building a thriving hydrogen economy ensuring private sector investment and policy decisions are aligned to support timely decisions and outcomes.”