Owned by EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd and in collaboration with Hanson UK, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, EDF ENERGY R&D UK CENTRE LIMITED, and Asphalt Burner Services Ltd, the ‘Bay Hydrogen Hub – Hydrogen4Hanson’ project is set in Lancashire and has been awarded £6,119,361.49. This initiative aims to decarbonize the asphalt and cement production industry while pioneering nuclear-derived hydrogen production.
Nuclear-Powered Hydrogen Production
The heart of the project lies at Heysham 2 power station, where electricity and steam will be supplied to an onsite solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) electrolyzer to produce hydrogen. This innovative approach is expected to increase hydrogen production efficiency by over 20% compared to conventional proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. This technology has never been physically demonstrated before, making it a global first.
One of the project’s key milestones is the use of hydrogen as a fuel at an asphalt plant, specifically Hanson’s Criggion asphalt plant in North Wales. If successful, this could result in carbon savings of approximately 3,300 tons annually, significantly contributing to the UK’s net-zero emissions goals.
Expanding Hydrogen Applications
Beyond its immediate goals, this project sets the stage for the development of a Bay Hydrogen Hub. It could potentially serve as a blueprint for decarbonizing multiple Heidelberg Materials asphalt and cement sites in the UK and future nuclear new build projects.
The HYDESS Project
EON UK CHP LTD spearheads the ‘Hydrogen for the Decarbonization of Sheffield Steel” (HYDESS) project in Sheffield, with partners Chesterfield Special Cylinders, Sheffield Forgemasters, Glass Futures, and the University of Sheffield. The project has been awarded £936,758.04.
Transitioning from Natural Gas to Hydrogen
HYDESS explores the feasibility of end-to-end hydrogen production, transport, and usage in the steel manufacturing industry. It seeks to create a technically and commercially viable pathway to shift from natural gas to hydrogen for fueling steel reheat and heat treatment furnaces.
Hydrogen gas will be produced onsite at E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows biomass power station using the electrolysis process. This gas will then be stored and transported to local steel product manufacturers via road trailers created by Chesterfield Special Cylinders. The steel cylinders for these trailers will be forged onsite at their Sheffield factory, establishing a local hydrogen economy and enabling steel manufacturers to embrace sustainability and green steel production.
A Scalable Solution
HYDESS’s front-end engineering design phase explores the production, distribution, and innovative use of hydrogen for various applications. It holds the potential for replication at other sites in the region and across the UK, supported by Cadent, Forged Solutions, Sheffield Combined Authority, and Sheffield City Council.
