Shoreham Port, the commercial seaport just west of Brighton
on the UK's southern coastline, has announced a partnership with a local
startup to build a 20-megawatt electrolysis plant adjacent to the port's locks.
The hydrogen will be certified as fully green, as it will be
produced from a combination of on-site renewable energy sources at the port and
green energy from the grid. The plant would make fuel cell grade hydrogen for
fuel cell-powered buses and trucks, as well as vessels and the port’s own
cranes and forklifts.
“Through the creation of our hydrogen hub, which will supply
zero emission green hydrogen, Shoreham Port can form part of the solution to
the region’s net-zero challenges. As a community organization we would like to
work with everyone to make this new stage of the Port’s growth a success. The
new plant will be clean, quiet and create good quality jobs at the Port and
within the wider community," said Tom Willis, the port's CEO.
The UK hydrogen supply chain is expected to grow rapidly in
the next five to ten years as demand for practical zero emission and zero
carbon diesel alternatives increases. A recent report by energy market
analytics Aurora Energy Research predicts that hydrogen demand could expand
from 330 terawatt-hours today to up 2,500 terawatt-hours by 2050.
Developer H2evolution says that in addition to filling a
market need for hydrogen consumers, the plant will provide a demand side
response for wind and solar plants, absorbing electricity when there is too
much and reducing the need for curtailment.
“This is an excellent site for the creation of a
game-changing green hydrogen facility. We will be producing entirely green,
zero carbon fuel to decarbonize the equivalent of 300 buses; enough for towns
and cities like Brighton & Hove and Worthing, which will prevent the
emission of over 100 tonnes of CO2 per day," said Stephen David, chairman
at H2evolution.
The news follows an announcement from the Port of Rotterdam
and German energy company Uniper, which are starting a feasibility study to
investigate large-scale production of green hydrogen in the Maasvlakte area in
Rotterdam - a location where the offshore wind power industry and the
hydrogen-consuming petchem industry overlap. “The production of green hydrogen
on the Uniper site fits in perfectly with the strategy of the Port Authority to
make the industry more sustainable,” said Allard Castelein, CEO Port of
Rotterdam Authority. “Green hydrogen is a sustainable alternative for natural
gas to realize high temperatures. Besides, it is an important sustainable
feedstock for the chemical industry.”