Uniper Adds Green Hydrogen to Major U.K. Project

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Germany's largest gas importer, Uniper SE (Dusseldorf, Germany), has announced that it is going to add 120 megawatts (MW) of green hydrogen production to its leading hydrogen project in the U.K.

The company said it will add green hydrogen to the planned Humber H2ub Blue hydrogen project it is developing in northeast England at its Killingholme gas-fired power station. It has signed a collaboration agreement with Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) (Houston, Texas) to supply the green hydrogen to its nearby Humber Refinery. The hydrogen would be used to replace refinery fuel gas in industrial-scale fired heaters, as part of Phillips 66 Limited's plans to reduce the Humber Refinery's scope 1 operational emissions.

Overall, Uniper's Humber H2ub Blue project will have a hydrogen production capacity of up to 720 MW, using gas reformation technology with carbon capture and storage (CCS). It aims to build more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of electrolyser capacity across the business by 2030. A final investment decision still has to be made and the project has not yet received a guarantee of government funding support.

"The Humber H2ub (Green) project is a key part of Uniper's hydrogen ambitions in the U.K. and we're pleased to be collaborating on it with Phillips 66 Limited. The Humber region is recognised as the U.K.'s most carbon intensive industrial region and hydrogen will be vital in decarbonising and securing the region's economy. The Humber H2ub® (Green) project could make an important contribution to kick starting the hydrogen economy in the Humber region," said Guy Phillips, team lead, business development hydrogen, Uniper U.K..

Duncan Hammond, Humber's decarbonisation projects manager at Phillips 66, added: "Hydrogen refueling will be a big step in lowering the refinery's emissions as we evolve with the energy transition. Energy security is vital for the U.K.. Utilizing technologies such as low carbon hydrogen produced by electrolysis and also carbon capture will enable us to continue to produce essential products for the transport sector and supply chain, some of which are used in the production of electric vehicle batteries, wind turbine blades, pharmaceuticals and much more. We believe hydrogen will attract new industry, protect jobs, and develop the local economy."

In 2022, Industrial Info reported that the Humber H2ub Blue project was one of four clean hydrogen and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects shortlisted by the U.K. government to advance to the next stage of its national "green industrial revolution" plan. The other East Coast Cluster projects to advance to Phase 2 were Equinor's (NYSE:EQNR) (Stavanger) Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) Saltend, H2NorthEast by Kellas Midstream and bpH2Teesside by BP plc (NYSE:BP) (London, England).

For additional information, see August 22, 2022, article - U.K. Shortlists Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Projects. Last month, Equinor's H2H Saltend secured planning permission. The 600-MW project, located at Saltend Chemicals Park (SCP) in the heavily industrialized Humber region, will see the construction of a hydrogen production facility utilizing an autothermal reformer (ATR) to produce "blue" hydrogen for use by on-site and nearby chemicals and industrial companies. For additional information, see March 4, 2024, article - Planning Granted for Giant Humber Hydrogen Plant in U.K..

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