ScottishPower is planning to build a £150m green hydrogen plant at the Port of Felixstowe which will be able to power trucks, trains and ships.
ScottishPower has announced plans to build a £150m green hydrogen plant at the Port of Felixstowe capable of powering trucks, trains and ships.The energy company is proposing to develop a 100MW plant at the Suffolk port which will provide up to 40 tonnes of green hydrogen per day from 2026 – enough to power 1,300 trucks.
The company’s plans have been spurred on by increasing demand for alternative fuels as diesel and petrol prices continue to soar.
The supply of green hydrogen will also meet with the government’s strategy to create a more secure and sustainable energy supply and create an alternative for businesses, such as HGV transport operators, that cannot decarbonise their operations through renewable electricity alone. ScottishPower has submitted an application for funding to the government’s Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. The energy provider estimates the project will cost between £100m and £150m.
Barry Carruthers, ScottishPower hydrogen director, said: “This strategically important project could potentially create a clean fuels hub that could unlock nationally significant decarbonisation for the region, as well as playing a role in international markets. It’s perfectly located not far from our existing and future off-shore windfarms in the East Anglia region, and demonstrates how renewable electricity and green hydrogen can now start to help to decarbonise road, rail, shipping and industry.”
Dr Therese Coffey MP, local MP for Suffolk Coastal, said: “I warmly welcome Hutchison Ports’ and Scottish Power’s joint plans to explore opportunities for a large-scale hydrogen hub at the Port of Felixstowe, providing green fuel at the UK’s largest container port. It’s schemes like this - and investment from industry as well as government - which is crucial for us to reach net zero by 2050.”
