Cheshire West & Chester Council has approved EET Hydrogen’s plans to develop a low-carbon hydrogen production plant (HPP1).
Located at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the plans will consist of two plants (HPP1 and HPP2) and enable local industrial and power generation businesses to transition away from fossil fuels.
EET will develop the hydrogen hub in phases with the first plant (HPP1) being 350MW capacity and the second (HPP2) at 1,000MW capacity and an overall target capacity of 4,000MW+ by 2030.
© EET Hydrogen – HPP1
The hydrogen produced is expected to be used locally by the Essar refinery and other major manufacturers in the region, such as Tata Chemicals, Encirc and Pilkington to create low-carbon refining operations, glass and chemicals manufacturing sites.
EET Hydrogen and HyNet are anticipating that the start of construction for HPP1 will begin in 2024, with low-carbon hydrogen produced at the site by 2027.
Richard Holden, HPP1 Project Manager at EET Hydrogen, said, “This is the largest low carbon hydrogen project in the UK and one of the most advanced in the world.
“It is a vital piece of the North West’s journey to Net Zero, underpinning HyNet and providing the opportunity for manufacturers in the region to decarbonise their processes and support UK jobs.”
HPP1 will also supply low-carbon hydrogen to Encirc’s Elton factory, with up to 1,000MW of hydrogen split between them and Pilkington.
Encirc’s Managing Director, Sean Murphy, said, “At Encirc, we’re looking forward to ensuring glass is the most sustainable packaging of choice for generations to come. With access to low-carbon to low-carbon hydrogen, we can decarbonise our furnaces and make that future a reality.”
The development of HPP1 and HPP2 is a key pillar of HyNet, the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation cluster.
HyNet Project Director at Progressive Energy, said, “The plant will provide locally produced hydrogen to industry across the region, enabling them to switch their fuel to a low carbon alternative.”
Last October (2023), Eni agreed a Heads of Terms with the UK Government for the transportation and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the HyNet North West industrial hydrogen and CCS cluster.
Read more:Eni and UK Government reach agreement on HyNet CCS
Eni will act as the CO2 transport and storage operator of the HyNet consortium, which is expected to store 4.5 million tonnes of the gas per year in the first phase of the project once operational in 2025.
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