Scotland approves ‘UK’s largest’ green hydrogen project

The UK’s first utility-scale green hydrogen plant is slated for construction, with developers Statera Energy saying it will be “the largest project of its kind” in Europe.

Aberdeenshire Council have granted planning approval for the Kintore Hydrogen project, which is expected to have 500 MW of operational production capacity in its first phase, and a further build-out of 3 GW.

The UK’s recent update to its Hydrogen Strategy states that low-carbon hydrogen production will be “critical” to the country’s future energy system. It has established the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, offering up to £240m (US$321m) to support the development and construction of hydrogen projects.

The Kintore project is one of 15 being backed by the fund, along with the HyNet Hydrogen Production Plant, HPP2, which is expected to produce 1,000 MW of capacity.

Tom Vernon, CEO of Statera Energy, said: “Kintore Hydrogen is designed to fully capitalise on the potential that hydrogen has to offer. The location and scale of this project means it can make best use of surplus wind power, significantly lowering hydrogen production costs.

“It will help balance the grid, contribute to the UK’s energy security, and support the decarbonisation of the UK's hard-to-abate industries and power sector.”

Scottish power

Statera Energy’s plan will involve converting offshore wind energy into green hydrogen via electrolysis.

Scotland is a powerhouse for wind energy, producing almost half of the UK’s total 30 GW capacity. It currently produces 5 GW of offshore wind power and has set a goal to deploy 11 GW by 2030.

Statera Energy’s plant will be in southwest Kintore, Aberdeenshire, next to its existing power generation substation.

The company has more than 1 GW of UK projects in operation and construction, with 16 GW in its consented pipeline. Already investing £700m into these projects, the company expects to invest a further £7bn by 2030 to get its projects online.

It has yet to confirm a construction date, but expects the site to be up and running by 2030.