Twenty-seven hydrogen projects have been shortlisted for the next stage of the second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2).
HAR2 seeks to encourage the growth of the UK’s green hydrogen industry by funding innovative green hydrogen projects across the country. Successful projects in the scheme will be awarded support and funding over a 15-year period to ensure their success over a long period of time.
While not all of the shortlisted projects will be awarded HAR2 funding, the shortlist covers a range of projects for a wide variety of potential uses. Some of the projects target the production of ammonia for industrial uses, glass manufacturing, brick making, clean power generation and sustainable aviation fuel production.
One of the proposed projects, put forward by RWE Generation, seeks to develop a green hydrogen production facility at the soon-to-be decommissioned Grangemouth oil refinery. The Grangemouth oil refinery was recently the subject of a £1.5 million case study by the UK government, exploring how the site could be used for future industrial purposes after oil refining ceases to be performed on-site later this year.
The first round of the scheme saw 11 projects allocated over £2 billion in government funding, which combined will have a 124MW production capacity. One recipient of HAR1 funding, Whitelee Green Hydrogen in Scotland, will produce hydrogen to help power the Inchdairnie Whiskey distillery as part of the distillery’s plan to sustainably distil whisky by 2027. An expansion of this, the Whitelee Green Hydrogen Phase 2 project, is one of the shortlisted projects for HAR2 funding.
Commenting on the plans, industry minister Sarah Jones, said: “We are deploying hydrogen at a commercial scale for the first time – not just investing in a technology – but investing in British jobs, our proud manufacturing communities and our energy security.”
Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the Hydrogen Energy Association, expressed her enthusiasm for the future of the UK’s hydrogen sector through this project, adding: “This much-anticipated announcement brings vital clarity to the UK’s hydrogen sector, providing a crucial boost for projects that will drive forward the country’s low-carbon transition.
“This is great news—not just for the hydrogen sector but for the UK’s ambition to become energy secure and a global leader in clean energy.”
