Hundreds of jobs will be created across the UK in a world-leading hydrogen industry from the South West of England to the Highlands of Scotland, backed by £2 billion (€2.3 billion) in government funding over the next 15 years.
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho announced backing for 11 major projects to produce green hydrogen – through a process known as electrolysis – and confirmed suppliers will receive a guaranteed price from the government for the clean energy they supply.
This represents the largest number of commercial scale green hydrogen production projects announced at once anywhere in Europe, helping to place the country at the forefront of this emerging industry.
In return for this government support, the successful projects will invest over £400 million (€463 million) in the next three years, generating more than 700 jobs in local communities across the UK and delivering 125MW of new hydrogen for businesses including:
• Sofidel in South Wales, who will replace 50% of their current gas boiler consumption with hydrogen at their Port Talbot paper mill.
• InchDairnie Distillery in Scotland, who plan to run a boiler on 100% hydrogen for use in their distilling process.
• PD Ports in Teesside, who will use hydrogen to replace diesel in their vehicle fleet, decarbonising port operations from 2026.
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said: “Hydrogen presents a massive economic opportunity for the UK, unlocking over 12,000 jobs and up to £11 billion (€12.75 billion) of investment by 2030.
Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said: “This will be essential to achieving our net-zero targets, and will benefit people across the UK with the job and investment opportunities that this funding will bring.”
Major boost for hydrogen as UK unlocks new investment
