Friday 24 June 2022

Equinor seeks £16.4m government funding for second Humber hydrogen project

Equinor is seeking £16.4 million in government funding to kick-start a second major low carbon hydrogen production facility in the Humber region.

It has submitted a co-funded bid for the Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) Production 2 project, which would produce 1.2GW of low carbon hydrogen and could be operational by 2028.

The hydrogen can be used across multiple sectors in the region, including decarbonising heavy industry, power production, low carbon chemicals production and domestic heating trials.

The project, combined with Equinor's flagship 600MW H2H Saltend project, could deliver 18% of the government's target for 10GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

It is joined by the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) for the project, which will develop a digital twin of the hydrogen supply chain, identifying opportunities for the UK manufacturing supply chain and supporting local and national SMEs.

With a total value of around £16.4 million, Equinor and AMRC's bid would be 50% privately funded, with the aim to achieve a final investment decision in 2025.

Dan Sadler, Equinor’s Vice President for UK Low Carbon Solutions said: “This co-funded bid helps to maintain and unlock private investment in low carbon hydrogen projects in the Humber. It will underpin the creation of a world first hydrogen economy in an end-to-end value chain. This scheme will position the UK at the forefront of the race to a hydrogen economy helping transition major local industries towards greener technologies whilst creating opportunities for both local and national businesses.

“H2H Production 2 will help establish an ‘at scale’ hydrogen economy in the Humber delivered by world leading, best in class partners which will provide a UK an international lighthouse replicable across the world.”