The North West Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) is urging the Government to accelerate its plan for hydrogen storage business models.
The NWHA says a new report, ‘The role of storage in delivering a hydrogen economy in the UK’, makes it clear that while support mechanisms to support hydrogen production are progressing well towards implementation, greater focus is needed on the distribution and storage infrastructure required to deliver hydrogen at scale.
The NWHA says the report outlines why large-scale storage is essential for hydrogen to deliver its vital role in decarbonising the UK.
The call follows the recent publication of the Hydrogen Sector Development Action Plan, which confirmed the Government’s intention to design new business models for storage infrastructure by 2025.
The industry group believes this is an insufficiently ambitious target that risks deterring timely investment in clean energy storage, which it says is vital for the UK to take control of its clean energy security, and is calling for it to be brought forward to at least 2023.
Storage is vital to unlocking the full potential of hydrogen and is essential for UK energy security.
The report estimates that around 4TWh of underground storage will be required to balance the seasonal variation in hydrogen demand per 1 million homes in the UK. In the North West of England, plans are being developed by INEOS to store hydrogen in Cheshire salt caverns as part of the HyNet North West project. The report also calls for the hydrogen transport network and hydrogen storage infrastructure to be developed in tandem to ensure that stored hydrogen can reach its end users.
The Energy Security Bill, which was introduced to parliament earlier this month, identified a vital role for hydrogen in decarbonising the UK, with the hydrogen production target doubling from 5GW to 10GW by 2030.
Professor Joe Howe, Chair of the NWHA and Executive Director, Thornton Research Institute at the University of Chester, said: “Storage is vital to unlocking the full potential of hydrogen and is essential for UK energy security. It will play an important role in balancing hydrogen production from intermittent renewables and helping to manage the UK’s daily and seasonable fluctuating heating demands.
“While progress is being made on developing much needed business models for hydrogen production, the Government needs to also press ahead with policy around hydrogen storage.
“We’re calling for the 2025 deadline for hydrogen storage business models to be brought forward to 2023, to unlock investment and ensure these storage projects, which inevitably have a long lead in time, are ready for when production ramps up. The North West Hydrogen Alliance stands ready to work with Government to achieve this.”
