Wednesday 30 June 2021

Equinor triples UK hydrogen production ambition to 1.8GW

Norwegian energy giant Equinor has announced plans to increase production of low carbon hydrogen in the UK to 1.8GW.

President and Chief Executive Anders Opedal underlined the company's ambitions in a meeting with UK Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Norway's Energy Minister Tina Bru is Oslo.

Equinor is leading the H2H (Hydrogen to Humber) Saltend project, a first-of-its-kind 600MW gas reformer that will produce hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture technology.

This will enable fuel switching by industrial users at Saltend Chemicals Park and the onsite Saltend Co-generation Power Station switching to a hydrogen fuel blend.

The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions from Saltend by nearly one million tonnes every year.

Equinor's increased ambition involves a further 1,200MW of low carbon hydrogen production, principally to fuel the Keadby Hydrogen power station, which it is co-developing with SSE Thermal and could be the world's first large-scale 100% hydrogen-fuelled plant.

Equinor is also developing the offshore infrastructure to transport and store CO2 from projects in the East Coast Cluster with its partners in the Northern Endurance Partnership.

Mr Opedal said: “Without CCS and hydrogen, at scale, there is no viable path to net zero and realising the Paris goals.

“Our low carbon projects in the UK build on our own industrial experience and will play a major role in setting the UK’s industrial heartlands in a leading position. The projects will also contribute to provide hydrogen and low carbon solutions to three to five industrial clusters by 2035. We will do so by working together with governments, partners and customers.”