Energy behemoth Centrica and Ryze Hydrogen will work together to develop and run hydrogen production facilities that would guarantee a steady supply of hydrogen for use in industry and transportation, the firms announced this morning to City A.M.
The companies announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which will pool expertise to launch the growth of a purported “UK hydrogen economy” that focuses on the commercial, industrial, and mobility markets.
In accordance with the contract, the businesses will collaboratively develop hydrogen production projects on Centrica sites while also collaborating with third parties to establish production on their sites.
The direction of net zero
The alliance will also look into ways the UK may cooperate with foreign hydrogen production facilities to transport cheap renewable energy converted to hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives to high-demand regions.
According to Centrica’s Head of Hydrogen, William Mezzullo, “decarbonizing our energy systems will rely heavily on low carbon hydrogen.” It provides the opportunity for storage in numbers that provide long-term resilience and another option for decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors, enabling the greater use of renewable and low-carbon electricity.
“We should be ambitious in our thinking, and the UK should strive to be a net exporter of hydrogen, generating high-quality green jobs, greater tax money for the UK Treasury, and a reduced cost of Net Zero transition for individuals and companies.” William Mezzullo, Director of Hydrogen at Centrica
Additionally, it is evident from our interactions with Centrica that it is committed to making hydrogen a valuable part of its net-zero goal, according to green businessman and Executive Chairman of Ryze Jo Bamford.
He emphasized that the projects the businesses have been discussing recently would “change the game for the green hydrogen economy” and will highlight “why hydrogen is such a vital resource for the UK and the rest of the globe in the battle against climate change.”
Centrica and Ryze will look at options for switching a portion of the British Gas fleet to hydrogen, including refueling infrastructure, locations, and van technology, as one of the initial initiatives under consideration.
Furthermore, according to Bamford, Centrica Business Solutions will collaborate with Ryze to offer hydrogen as a substitute fuel for clients looking to decarbonize on-site generating.
To better understand the function of hydrogen in power production, Centrica has announced plans to inject hydrogen into a gas-peaking plant at Brigg, Lincolnshire.
The business emphasized that it “has a long-term ambition” to transform the Rough gas field into the biggest long-term energy storage plant in Europe, able to store both hydrogen and natural gas.
