With the announcement of a cooperation with HyNet, one of the UK’s top government-backed industrial decarbonization initiatives, Manchester Airport has disclosed intentions to become the first airport in the country to have a direct supply of low carbon hydrogen fuel.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the airport and HyNet’s two founding partners has been signed. The hydrogen pipeline network for HyNet will be built and run by Cadent, a company that develops projects to decarbonize the energy industry.
The partners intend to use the MoU to deliver hydrogen to the aviation industry as soon as possible, including by connecting Manchester Airport to a pipeline that HyNet is building.
Graham Stuart, the energy and climate change minister, Baroness Vere, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and the North West Hydrogen Alliance have all endorsed the news.
In order to decarbonize the aviation industry, hydrogen-powered aircraft are planned to be in service starting in the middle of the 2030s for short-haul flights. According to a study done by FlyZero with the help of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the demand for liquid hydrogen at a large airport like Manchester might reach 6.5 million liters per day by 2050.
As a result of the MoU, the parties will collaborate to evaluate the need for hydrogen in aviation over the next years and investigate the viability of linking Manchester Airport to the regional HyNet network.
To supply any of its 60+ airlines with the sustainable fuel as soon as possible, the airport hopes to be the first to build a direct pipeline of hydrogen through this connection. This connection is an important part of broader initiatives to decarbonize aviation. Additionally, the procedure intends to stimulate innovation and the creation of green jobs in the area.
