Green hydrogen developer Meld Energy has been granted the greenlight to construct a £250 million, 100MW green hydrogen production facility at Saltend, Hull.
Situated in the Humber, one of the country’s industrial heartlands, the new hydrogen project will help position the region as a key investment zone for the clean energy carrier and spur its decarbonisation.
This is a perspective shared by Jonathan Brearley, CEO at Ofgem, who earlier this year (19 January) emphasised green hydrogen’s “key role” in driving “growth and generating jobs” on Humberside.
Mled Energy will build the green hydrogen production facility at Saltend Chemicals Park, a move that will create the capacity to meet up to 30% of the park’s existing hydrogen demand.
Saltend Chemicals Park is a hub for chemical businesses such as BP Petrochemicals Technology, Vivergo Fuels, Yara, Mitsubishi Chemicals UK, Ineos, and Air Products, as well as the Triton Power station.
Meld Energy’s CEO Chris Smith commented: “Meld Energy’s ambitious plans for the Humber are poised to accelerate decarbonisation efforts in the region. This outline planning approval is an important milestone for the development of our project which is the first of several that we will be bringing forward in the Humber and across the UK.
“Our Saltend Chemicals Park project will enable decarbonisation for our customers on the park and sets the baseline for accelerating and reducing the cost of the energy transition. We couldn’t be more excited with this news and look forward to being able to share more in the coming weeks.”
The impact of the Hydrogen Production Business Model
Meld Energy submitted a bid to access funding from round two of the government’s Hydrogen Production Business Model in April of this year.
Successful schemes are expected to be announced later this year, with the government aiming to support up to 875MW of hydrogen production in total.
