ScottishPower and Storegga have announced a partnership that would see them develop, build and operate green hydrogen production plants across Scotland.
The plans are hoped to have the potential to transform industry and transportation in the Highland region. The first project to be progressed will be the Cromarty Hydrogen Project, located just north of Inverness.
It is designed to deliver up to 20 tonnes of green hydrogen per day from 2024 and has, subject to customer demand, the potential to scale to 300MegaWatts (MW) in a series of expansion phases.
It should displace existing fossil fuel sources and let the supply of green hydrogen into the heating processes of distilleries, with additional potential applications for local manufacturing, food production and industrial heating companies.
The Cromarty project follows a successful feasibility study by ScottishPower and Storegga, undertaken in collaboration with distillers Diageo, Glenmorangie and Whyte & Mackay – all of which have operations in the region.
Discussions on similar projects for other customers and industries are also underway.
Barry Carruthers, hydrogen director at ScottishPower, said: “This is a really exciting milestone in our ambitions to support the growth of green hydrogen production across the country and the decarbonisation of heavy industry.
“We can now get to work on turning plans on paper into tangible and deliverable projects that will transform industry in the Highlands – making a long and lasting difference for people, businesses and communities.
Andrew Brown, head of hydrogen at Storegga, added: “The Cromarty Green Hydrogen Project is expected to be the UK’s largest green hydrogen facility when it commences operations in 2024, and is expected to rapidly expand thereafter.”
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