ScottishPower’s plans to build and operate a £150m green hydrogen plant at the Port of Felixstowe have been welcomed by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
Soaring petrol and diesel prices have seen a rise in demand for hydrogen and the energy company has submitted an application to the Government’s Net Zero Hydrogen Fund to develop a 100megawatt plant on a brownfield site at the Suffolk port, one of the UK’s busiest and an important trade hub.
The energy produced would be used for onshore purposes, such as road, rail and industrial use, with the potential to create liquid forms, such as green ammonia or e-methanol.
C-J Green, Chair of New Anglia LEP, said: “This is exciting news. We believe green hydrogen has an important role to play in accelerating the decarbonisation of transport – rail, shipping and logistics – where electrification is not viable. This project is in line with our newly published Alternative Fuels Strategy, which set a roadmap for the adoption of electric and hydrogen vehicles and development of associated infrastructure.
“This investment shows the benefit of our offshore wind farms which can provide the clean electricity to produce green hydrogen and the potential of Freeport East as a national leader in green hydrogen.”
Last year the Government announced eight new Freeports around the country, including Freeport East which centres on the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International, both part of Hutchison Ports. Freeports or zones are designated by the Government as areas with little to no tax in order to encourage economic activity.
A pillar of the Freeport East bid was the development of a Hydrogen Hub — a nuclear, hydrogen, maritime and transport decarbonisation scheme capable of delivering 1GW of hydrogen – 20% of the target set out in the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
