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Air Products and power generator VPI have signed a cooperative development agreement to advance the “Humber Hydrogen Hub” or “H3” project, which aims to construct an 800MW low-carbon hydrogen production plant in Immingham, United Kingdom.
The bulk of created hydrogen would be utilized to decarbonize VPI Immingham’s present electricity output.
Air Products Chief Operating Officer Dr. Samir J. Serhan and VPI Chairman Russell Hardy signed the deal.
Proven Technology Supporting the Ambitions of the Humber
As the largest industrial cluster in the United Kingdom, the Humber has the greatest industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. H3 would create huge quantities of low-carbon hydrogen by integrating market-leading hydrogen production, carbon capture technology, and offshore CO2 storage now under development for the Humber region.
The bulk of the low-carbon hydrogen would serve as a replacement fuel for the third gas turbine power train now in operation at VPI. Additionally, additional hydrogen with minimal carbon emissions would be made accessible to industrial users. In conjunction with the deployment of post-combustion capture technology on trains 1 and 2 at VPI Immingham as part of the Humber Zero project, H3 would bring substantial decarbonization to the VPI combined heat and power facilities, reducing its Immingham industrial site’s emissions by over two-thirds.
The H3 project aims to absorb up to two million tons of CO2 per year and contribute to the achievement of Net Zero in the Humber industrial region by 2040.
Crucial Development Milestones
The H3 project has filed a grant request for “Strand 1” of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF). The fund, administered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), aims to increase large-scale hydrogen generation. It will contribute to the UK government’s goal of 10GW of carbon-neutral hydrogen generation by 2030. As both corporations proceed toward an investment decision, this is an important step that might result in the creation of hundreds of new jobs during construction and operation in the region.
Air Products and VPI anticipate a productive dialogue with the government over how the H3 project may be made a reality.
Air Products’ Chief Operating Officer Dr. Samir J. Serhan said: “We are excited to be working with VPI, a strong proponent for decarbonization in the Humber region. Having a partner who is committed to decarbonizing their existing power production operations through the use of low-carbon hydrogen provides the secure hydrogen offtake that makes this an excellent opportunity for us to support them and the UK Government’s broader sustainability targets.”
VPI’s Project Director Jonathan Briggs said: “When Humber Zero was first developed over two years ago, a low-carbon hydrogen solution for VPI’s third train was a critically important part of our mission to decarbonize Immingham. By partnering with Air Products on H3, we are harnessing the expertise of the world’s largest producer of hydrogen―and the operator of one of the largest low-carbon hydrogen facilities in Port Arthur, Texas, USA―to ensure that we can make a substantial contribution to the decarbonization of the Humber region. We are confident that, when appropriate government policy develops with respect to support of low-carbon hydrogen, H3 would materially contribute to meeting the UK’s Net Zero goals.”
“VPI is investing heavily in the energy transition and supporting the creation of a hydrogen economy in the UK as part of the overall drive towards achieving net zero in the coming decades.”
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