Developer Meld Energy has received approval from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to construct a £250m, 100MW electrolyser in Hull, north-east England.
The project aims to position the Humber as a “centre of excellence” for hydrogen, helping facilitate the government’s goals for reducing emissions and increasing hydrogen use.
Meld Energy is preparing to build the green hydrogen production facility at Saltend Chemicals Park, with enough capacity to meet up to 30% of the park’s existing hydrogen demand.
Saltend Chemicals Park is a hub for top-tier chemical businesses such as BP Petrochemicals Technology, Vivergo Fuels, Yara, Mitsubishi Chemicals UK, Ineos, and Air Products, as well as the Triton Power station.
Hydrogen is “crucial” for the chemical industry’s transition to net zero, as it offers a viable path to decarbonisation, especially considering the industry’s significant use of gas.
Meld Energy submitted a bid to access funding from round two of the government’s Hydrogen Production Business Model in April of this year.
Successful schemes are expected to be announced later this year, with the government aiming to support up to 875MW of hydrogen production in total.
The Humber region is the UK’s industrial centre and the largest industrial emitter of CO2 in the UK – with over 5% of the UK’s overall emissions and 50% more than the next largest region.
This makes it an ideal location for hydrogen production.
Meld Energy’s CEO Chris Smith said: “Meld Energy’s ambitious plans for the Humber are poised to accelerate decarbonisation efforts in the region.
“This outline planning approval is an important milestone for the development of our project which is the first of several that we will be bringing forward in the Humber and across the UK.
“Our Saltend Chemicals Park project will enable decarbonisation for our customers on the park and sets the baseline for accelerating and reducing the cost of the energy transition.
“We couldn’t be more excited with this news and look forward to being able to share more in the coming weeks.”