A new hydrogen storage project in Glasgow with nearly £10 million in UK government funding to provide zero-carbon fuel for clean energy storage
Following the COP26 climate change summit held in Glasgow this year, the UK government has awarded £9.4 million for a hydrogen project on the UK’s largest onshore wind farm near Glasgow.
As the first of its kind, this hydrogen storage project aims to help create high-skilled jobs and drive progress towards decarbonising the UK transport sector.
Following Glasgow’s ambition to become net-zero by 2030, the £9.4 million funding will see the Whitelee green hydrogen project develop the UK’s largest electrolyser, a system that converts water into hydrogen gas to store energy.
Located alongside ScottishPower’s Whitelee Windfarm, it is the largest of its kind in the UK, producing and storing hydrogen to supply local transport providers with zero-carbon fuel.
Supporting the UK’s clean energy transition
Developed by ITM Power and BOC, working with ScottishPower’s Hydrogen division, the facility will be able to produce enough green hydrogen per day at 2.5 to 4 tonnes. Once stored, this facility could provide the equivalent of enough zero-carbon fuel for 225 buses travelling to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh daily.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said: “This first-of-a-kind hydrogen facility will put Scotland at the forefront of plans to make the UK a world-leading hydrogen economy, bringing green jobs to Glasgow, while also helping to decarbonise local transport – all immediately following the historic COP26 talks.
The Whitelee project will be the UK’s largest power-to hydrogen energy storage project, using an electrolyser powered by the renewable energy from the Whitelee Windfarm.
Creating green hydrogen, a zero-carbon gas that is produced via electrolysis, or splitting, of water, it will use renewable power.
“Projects like these will be vital as we shift to a green electricity grid, helping us get the full benefit from our world-class renewables, supporting the UK as we work to eliminate the UK’s contribution to climate change.”
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack added: “This tremendous investment at Whitelee Windfarm illustrates how serious the UK government is about supporting projects that will see us achieve net-zero by 2050.
“In the weeks following COP26 in Glasgow, it has never been more important to champion projects like this one, which embraces new hydrogen technology while creating highly-skilled jobs. We can, and will, achieve a greener, cleaner future.”
Enabling green growth across the UK
The government’s plans to make the UK a world-leading hydrogen economy, this project ensures the sector with a skilled workforce and an additional £2.25 million in government funding.
This funding, under the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, will help the British Standards Institution (BSI) develop technical standards for hydrogen products, and a consortium comprising Energy and Utility Skills and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers.
This will establish new standards and training specifications to facilitate the training of hydrogen gas installers, pushing the UK’s Green Industrial Revolution and creating high-skilled jobs at ITM Power’s location in Sheffield.
Supporting longer-term economic growth, the Whitelee project expands hydrogen businesses assisting more high-quality green jobs.
Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power Ltd, stated: “We are very pleased to be a partner in Green Hydrogen for Scotland and this first project, Green Hydrogen for Glasgow, will see the deployment of the largest electrolyser to date in the UK.”
