Plans for a green hydrogen energy plant at a former Royal Navy armaments depot in Pembrokeshire have been revealed by a Norwegian renewables giant. Statkraft said its planned plant at Trecwm would generate around three tonnes of green hydrogen daily - enough for a single bus to travel more than 40,000 miles or the equivalent of 350 journeys from Fishguard to Cardiff.
Its Trecwm Green Energy Hub project, subject to approval from Welsh Government ministers, would be constructed on the site of a disused rail transfer shed. Work would start in 2023 with it producing green hydrogen by the end of 2026. Hydrogen generated would be use to provide clean fuel for heavy goods vehicles, buses. Statkraft, which is wholly-owned by the Norwegian state, said its energy could also power Pembrokeshire Council’s fleet of HGV lorries and local buses, with the site able to produce enough green hydrogen to run around 170 buses every day. While there are currently no hydrogen powered trains in the UK, long-term Statkraft said there is potential. There are hydrogen powered trains in operation in Germany.
Whereas hydrogen is traditionally extracted from fossil fuels, green hydrogen is extracted from water in a process powered by electricity generated by renewable energy.
As the proposed facility will generate more than 10 megawatt of renewable electricity it is defined as a development of national significance. As a result a planning application will be submitted to Planning and Environmental Decisions Wales (PEDW) with the final decision made by Welsh Government ministers. Early site investigations have started and Statkraft will shortly be submitting a scoping request to PEDW to ensure the appropriate environmental studies are carried out as the proposals are developed.
Matt Kelly, from Statkraft UK, said: “Trecwn Green Energy Hub presents an exciting opportunity to produce homegrown green energy for local use and has the potential to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of Trecwn Valley. We’re working closely with Pembrokeshire County Council, and despite being at an early stage of the project, we’re keen to hear what local people think.
“We’re determined that our renewable energy projects benefit local people more widely and have distributed over £2 million to communities near our projects, as well as working to make environmental improvements to the sites we operate. We look forward to sharing more details of our plans as they progress.”
Paul Miller, deputy leader and cabinet member for place, the region and climate change at Pembrokeshire County Council said: “This announcement in respect of the Trecwn Green Energy Hub is evidence of the building momentum behind the green energy market in Pembrokeshire.
“Growing and nurturing renewable technology and industry right across the county, including in our more rural communities, is vital to ensure we position Pembrokeshire and the wider Swansea Bay City Region at the heart of Wales’s renewable energy push.”
Paul Miller, deputy leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, said “The proposed Trecwn Green Energy Hub is evidence of the building momentum behind the green energy market in Pembrokeshire. Growing and nurturing renewable technology and industry right across the county, including in our more rural communities, is vital to ensure we position Pembrokeshire and the south-west region at the heart of Wales’s renewable energy push.”
Statkraft already operates several renewable projects in Wales, including the Rheidol hydropower scheme near Aberystwyth and the Alltwalis windfarm in Carmarthenshire.
It said it has a project pipeline in Wales estimated at £250m, including plans for 1,000 megawatt of renewable projects across solar, wind, grid services, and green hydrogen.
Statkraft, which employs 4,800 globally, opened an office in Cardiff earlier this year and has investment more than invested more than £1.3bn in the UK’s renewable energy infrastructure and facilitated more than 4 gigawatt of new-build renewable energy generation through power purchase agreements.
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