At a premiere event at NUI Galway, the Galway Hydrogen Hub (GH2), the first Hydrogen Valley in Ireland, was unveiled.
The GH2 consortium is comprised of NUI Galway, the Port of Galway, CIÉ Group and Bus Éireann, Aran Islands Ferries, Lasta Mara Teo, Aer Arann Islands, and SSE Renewables.
The plan of GH2 aims to establish a Hydrogen Valley in the Galway region, similar to ones established in other European nations. A Hydrogen Valley is a regional ecosystem that connects research, production, distribution, and transportation of hydrogen with diverse end users, such as the transportation and industrial sectors. The utilization of indigenous green hydrogen at Hydrogen Valleys is regarded as a crucial step in the establishment of a new hydrogen economy.
As part of the planning process for the GH2 project, a public consultation meeting will be held at the Galway Harbour Hotel from 4 to 8 p.m. on June 23 and from 10 to 1 p.m. on June 24. The GH2 consortium will be present to discuss project plans and answer questions from the public regarding the proposed hydrogen hub.
The in-person events will provide community members with a comprehensive overview of the initiative. At the event, there will be a project brochure and a feedback form, and the virtual public consultation can be viewed at www.gh2.ie.
GH2 will establish Galway as the location of Ireland’s first Hydrogen Valley, supplying green hydrogen for use in transportation, industry, and local communities.
The GH2 partnership intends to establish an initial flagship demonstrator project in The Port of Galway for the domestic production and distribution of clean, green hydrogen fuel for public and private vehicles. The preferred connection point for the GH2 project to the national grid is the Galway 110kV grid substation, which will be powered by renewable energy through a Power Purchase Agreement with SSE and a guarantee of origin.
The green hydrogen produced by the GH2 project will be initially supplied for use by buses and trucks, before being extended to maritime and aviation in order to create a multi-modal, zero-emission, green hydrogen transport hub that is easily replicable in Ireland.
The planned hydrogen transport hub is anticipated to be completely operational by the end of 2024, and today’s announcement represents a significant advancement in the potential for the production and distribution of indigenous renewable fuel to both domestic and international markets. This would demonstrate Ireland’s potential as a significant hydrogen producer and exporter.
The creation of the nation’s first Hydrogen Valley is an additional step toward establishing Ireland as a strategic hub for renewable energy production and energy sector integration. Green hydrogen can provide energy supply security, aid in mitigating long-term energy price fluctuations, and significantly contribute to lowering Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing transportation.
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