£180M Green Hydrogen Facility Planned for Hull
Funding of £180 million is planned for a new facility at Saltend, Hull. How will this accelerate the region’s transition to net zero?
Saltend Chemicals Park, in Hull, has been selected as the site for the build of a green hydrogen facility and an investment of between £180 million and £240 million by Meld Energy, the green hydrogen industrial developer.
Meld Energy is an international hydrogen development company that is working with the global energy management company, World Fuel Services Corporation, to develop green hydrogen supply chains.
The Humber is the UK’s most carbon-intensive region
The facility would have an initial installed capacity of 100MW and would have the potential to increase its capacity to over 200MW in a second development stage.
Green hydrogen that would be produced at the facility by Meld would be used to provide energy on-site at Saltend, helping to switch over from more carbon-intensive fuels and chemical feedstock to emission-free green hydrogen.
Geoff Holmes, CEO of px Group, the company who owns the Saltend Chemicals Park, explained that Saltend is the ideal location for hydrogen projects: “Meld Energy’s decision to invest at Saltend Chemicals Park proves once again that Saltend is the go-to location for industrial decarbonisation and the UK energy transition.”
Continuing Geoff said that the project would have a huge influence on UK decarbonisation: “Meld’s plans are on a scale that will make a significant impact on domestic decarbonisation – it is a project that the government should find impossible to ignore.”
We have a host of world-class industrial companies on site at Saltend and this potential major investment shows once again the strength of the Saltend offering.
Decarbonising the Humber is essential, this is because it is the UK’s most carbon-intensive region. It is responsible for producing 12.4 million tonnes of carbon annually.
The project is expected to be fully operational by 2027
Chris Smith, CEO and Founder of Meld Energy expressed that the park is the perfect site for the green hydrogen facility: “Saltend has a rich knowledge of decarbonisation projects and, importantly, has future users of hydrogen to be produced already in place.”
He continued by highlighting that the Humber could see this project in place soon: “This project can be online within three years and would deliver an immediate reduction in emissions once production commences.”
The facility will have the potential to double its production as demand for hydrogen increases in the future to meet net zero targets.
Meld Energy is bidding for support from the UK’s ‘Net Zero Hydrogen Fund’. If successful, Front End Engineering Design (FEED) is expected to commence in November 2023.
The company has revealed that construction is expected to begin within a year, targeting to be fully operational by early 2027.
Hydrogen Industry Leaders will be exploring Hull’s potential to become a leader in hydrogen at the HIL 100 Breakfast Hub Hull on 1 December 2023. To find out more information, visit our site here.
