Shoreham Port Launches Plan for Green Hydrogen Plant
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.”