Tees Green Hydrogen
EDF Renewables UK and Hynamics, a subsidiary of EDF Group specialising in hydrogen, have announced plans for a green hydrogen production centre on Teeside.
Tees Green Hydrogen will use the green electricity from nearby Teesside Offshore Wind Farm along with a new solar farm, which EDF Renewables UK intends to construct near Redcar, to power its hydrogen electrolyser. The project will supply local business customers with hydrogen to support decarbonisation efforts and a significant reduction in industrial pollution.
The initiative was announced at Teesworks with British Steel Lackenby and PD Ports.
In October last year, British Steel unveiled its Low-Carbon Roadmap which sets out its plans to, among other solutions, develop the application of hydrogen in its operations.
Arrangements have already been made to supply PD Ports with hydrogen to decarbonise port operations and will further explore maritime decarbonisation more widely.
The development is the latest in a growing list of green initiatives proposed on Teesside. In its initial phase, the electrolyser will be 30-50MW in size, but is designed to be able to scale to over 500MW, in line with emerging demand.
Tristan Zipfel, Director of Strategy and Analysis at EDF Renewables UK, said: “Tees Green Hydrogen represents the latest instalment of our investment in Tees Valley, supporting its decarbonisation, reducing pollution and strengthening the local economy.
“Tees Green Hydrogen is a ground-breaking project, which will utilise locally produced green electricity to create the means to decarbonise local industry and safeguard its operation for many years to come, well beyond Net Zero 2050. In the current world climate the importance of locally produced renewable power cannot be underestimated.
“We are looking forward to working with the local supply chain in delivering this project and ultimately, in supporting Tees Valley in leading the way on green technology. We are proud to be part of accelerating the area to a net zero future.”
Christelle Rouillé, CEO of Hynamics, said: “We are dedicated to making low carbon and renewable hydrogen a decarbonisation driver of the entire economy, especially in the mobility and industrial sectors. We are very happy to support our partners in achieving their carbon neutrality objectives, in line with the climate change emergency.”
Detailed plans for Tees Green Hydrogen will be released later this year, with a consultation on the 49.9 MW Tees solar development taking place later this month. The solar and hydrogen initiatives will add to EDF’s already considerable presence on Teesside, which includes its offshore wind farm at Redcar, operational since 2014 and nuclear power station in Hartlepool which has supplied low-carbon electricity for nearly 40 years.
