Equinor and SSE Thermal have awarded two significant contracts for work on the Aldbrough hydrogen storage project.
The contracts were won by engineering firm Atkins and sustainability consultancy Environmental Resources Management (ERM).
It is a “important milestone and advancement” in the intended creation of one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities.
Equinor and SSE Thermal are collaborating on the Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage project, which aims to store low-carbon hydrogen.
It will either be located within the existing natural gas storage facility or close to the East Yorkshire facility at a new hydrogen storage site.
Aldbrough could be operational by early 2028 with an initial capacity of at least 320 Gigawatt hours (GWh).
Atkins has been selected to perform a feasibility study on the design of the hydrogen storage caverns and the related pipeline to carry hydrogen to and from the proposed new Humber Low Carbon Pipelines (HLPC), which is being created as part of the Zero Carbon Humber partnership.
The assessment’s outcome will serve as the foundation for the project’s subsequent phase of scoping work. Additionally, the contract includes an option for additional pre-front end engineering design work.
ERM’s contract includes environmental, health, safety, and permitting aspects of the project, all of which are critical for Equinor’s future ‘Hydrogen to Humber’ (H2H) objectives.
Storage will enable the UK to balance hydrogen production and supply cost effectively.
The fuel will enable the decarbonisation of a wide range of sectors, including flexible energy generation alongside intermittent renewables, industrial use, and heat.
