Uniper and Shell have agreed to move on with plans to manufacture blue hydrogen at Uniper’s Killingholme power facility in East Anglia. In the Humber region, the hydrogen produced might be utilized to decarbonize industry, transportation, and power.
The Humber Hub Blue project calls for a blue hydrogen production facility with a capacity of up to 720 megawatts that will use gas reformation technology with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The collected carbon would be fed into the East Coast Cluster’s planned Zero Carbon Humber onshore pipeline, which was recently chosen as one of two CCS clusters to receive early government financing under the government’s cluster sequencing procedure.
The Humber Hub Blue Project just met the government’s cluster sequencing procedure’ Phase-2 qualifying requirements. From May 2022, successful initiatives that may be eligible for government support will be shortlisted. Projects in Phase 2 are planned to make final investment choices in 2024 and begin operations in 2027.
CCS may collect roughly 1.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of carbon per year at Killingholme’s blue hydrogen generation. The UK government has set a goal of capturing 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.
The arrangement comes after both firms signed a memorandum of understanding in 2021 to look at boosting the development of a hydrogen economy in Europe. Shell and Uniper will now work together to advance process design studies and site development, with the goal of moving the project to front-end engineering and design by 2023.
“The Humber Hub Blue hydrogen project is an important aspect of Uniper’s hydrogen goals in the UK, and we’re delighted that Shell is joining us on this endeavor,” said Uniper Hydrogen CEO Axel Wietfeld.
“Killingholme’s construction of a hydrogen production hub is a crucial step toward decarbonizing the UK’s largest industrial cluster.” This investment, in addition to future-proofing the sector, has the potential to protect and develop the region’s economy,” said Mike Lockett, Uniper UK Country Chairman, and Chief Commercial Officer Power.
Shell UK Country Chair David Bunch stated, “Shell is ready to play our role in ensuring an orderly transition to net-zero while enhancing the UK’s energy security.” “Subject to Board approval, we expect to spend up to £25 billion in the UK energy system over the next decade, with more than 75% of it going toward low- and zero-carbon technologies.” These proposals will rely heavily on hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). They can also aid in the creation of jobs and economic prosperity. As a result, it’s vital that the government and industry continue to collaborate in order to create change.”
“We’ve set ambitious objectives for hydrogen production in our British Energy Security Strategy and are investing £360 million in new energy technology to get us there,” British Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth Greg Hands stated. Today’s announcement demonstrates the Humberside region’s faith in hydrogen by generating high-quality jobs based on this clean, cutting-edge new super fuel.”
