Energy companies SSE and EET Hydrogen have begun development work on a new green hydrogen production project at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, UK.
According to EET, this initial expected 40 MWe facility, named Gowy Green Hydrogen, will deliver hydrogen to industrial offtakers in the region to support them to decarbonize their operations, helping to secure and grow jobs in the region.
The project could be operational as early as 2028, with feasibility studies completed and design and site investigation works underway, EET revealed.
A planning application is expected to move forward in 2025 ahead of any final investment decision (FID) being made by the two parties.
Jess Ledger, Green Hydrogen Lead at EET Hydrogen, commented: “Gowy Green is a fantastic addition to our existing portfolio of low-carbon hydrogen projects, supporting our mission to be the leading low-carbon hydrogen business in the UK. We are delighted to be partnered with SSE, as the North West continues to lead in decarbonising industry and power through low-carbon hydrogen.”
Hannah Bronwin, Director of Business Development for SSE Thermal, stated: “Scaling up green hydrogen production will be essential when it comes to decarbonising hard-to-abate industries and solving the clean power puzzle. We’re excited to work with EET Hydrogen to develop Gowy Green Hydrogen, which can help secure much needed hydrogen production capacity in a region which is already playing a leading role in the energy transition.”
To note, at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, EET Hydrogen is also working on low-carbon hydrogen plants HPP1 and HPP2.
The HPP1 plant is expected to be the nation’s first large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production plant, and according to EET, it will produce some 350 MW of hydrogen from 2026.
As for the HPP2, at up to 1000 MW capacity, the plant is expected to be one of the largest in the world and is estimated to produce some 230,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen every year for local industrial and power generation customers.
EET said that combined with the HPP2 plant, HPP1 will enable local industrial and power generation businesses to switch from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy, helping to reduce the North West’s carbon emissions by 2.5 million tons every year.
It is worth mentioning that these hydrogen plants are located at the heart of the HyNet industrial decarbonization cluster. This project includes hydrogen production and supply, as well as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to support the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors.