A state-of-the-art hydrogen production facility being developed by Renewable Connections has received consent from Bradford Council.
The Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility, a partnership project between Hygen and N-GEN, will produce enough hydrogen to remove up to 800 diesel-fuelled buses daily from West Yorkshire roads.
The facility on the old Birkshall gas storage site on Bowling Back Lane in Bradford will produce low-carbon hydrogen, which can be used to decarbonise vehicles and industry.
According to Renewable Connections, businesses and other users in West Yorkshire will be able to use the refuelling facilities on-site, and distribution experts Ryze will deliver hydrogen to industrial users across the region.
Michael Hughes, director at Renewable Connections, said: “We were delighted to act as lead developer for this ambitious, low-carbon project. The Bradford hydrogen production facility will support local climate change ambitions and be a valuable boost to the economy.”
Hydrogen-powered vehicles handed boost
Hydrogen-powered diggers, tractors, and forklifts are one step closer to being used on UK roads following new regulations in a government consultation.
The consultation, which will run for four weeks and close on 24 April 2024, could provide a vital stepping stone in bolstering the technology’s usage across the UK transportation market.
Hydrogen-powered construction and farming vehicles could provide an additional avenue to reducing their tailpipe emissions. This means that food production and the development of buildings could reduce their carbon footprint and thus support the energy transition.
According to a government statement, the proposals will grant further permission for companies to test hydrogen-powered vehicles, such as diggers, on the UK’s roads.
Hydrogen continues to see installed capacity grow
In early March, the International Energy Agency’s Clean Energy Market Monitor found that global installed hydrogen electrolyser capacity exceeded 1GW to reach 1.3GW in 2023, marking what the IEA dubbed a “historic milestone in the energy landscape”.
Notably, the capacity added in 2023 nearly matched the cumulative global installed capacity up to 2022. However, the IEA said it is still far from the annual multi-gigawatt additions required to keep climate goals within reach.
In what is still a market in its infancy, China has emerged as a dominant force, reaching an installed capacity of more than 650MW by the end of 2023. This is close to half the global installed capacity.
According to the IEA, this transformation has been fuelled by Chinese developers’ scaling up project sizes. Several projects now exceed 100MW capacity, including six of the world’s “largest operational electrolysis projects”.
