Friday 8 July 2022

Air Products and VPI partner for large-scale hydrogen production in the UK

Hydrogen producer Air Products and power generator VPI have signed an agreement to support large-scale hydrogen production in the Humber region in the UK.

The two companies plan to drive forward the 'Humber Hydrogen Hub' or H3, which seeks to develop a flagship 800MW low carbon hydrogen production facility in Immingham.

The majority of the hydrogen produced would be used to decarbonise VPI Immingham's existing power production, helping save more than two-thirds of the emissions from its industrial site.

The Humber, as the UK's largest industrial cluster, has the highest levels of industrial carbon emissions.

Air Products’ Chief Operating Officer Dr. Samir J. Serhan said: “We are excited to be working with VPI, a strong proponent for decarbonisation in the Humber region.

“Having a partner who is committed to decarbonising their existing power production operations through the use of low-carbon hydrogen provides the secure hydrogen offtake that makes this an excellent opportunity for us to support them and the UK Government’s broader sustainability targets.”

H3 would produce low carbon hydrogen at a large scale, combining carbon capture technology and offshore CO2 storage currently under development in the region.

The H3 project expects to capture up to two million tonnes of CO2 per year and contribute to achieving net zero in the wider Humber industrial region by 2040.

VPI’s Project Director Jonathan Briggs added: “When Humber Zero was first developed over two years ago, a low carbon hydrogen solution for VPI’s third train was a critically important part of our mission to decarbonise Immingham.

By partnering with Air Products on H3, we are harnessing the expertise of the world’s largest producer of hydrogen―and the operator of one of the largest low carbon hydrogen facilities in Port Arthur, Texas, USA―to ensure that we can make a substantial contribution to the decarbonisation of the Humber region. We are confident that, when appropriate government policy develops with respect to support of low carbon hydrogen, H3 would materially contribute to meeting the UK’s net zero goals.

“VPI is investing heavily in the energy transition and supporting the creation of a hydrogen economy in the UK as part of the overall drive towards achieving net zero in the coming decades.”