Scottish Power submits green hydrogen plans

UK’s largest electrolyser will be installed at a new green hydrogen plant located next to Scottish Power’s Whitelee windfarm near Glasgow, Scotland.

Energy provider Scottish Power has submitted planning permission for what will be the largest green hydrogen electrolyser in the UK.

The 20MW electrolyser, which uses electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, is a component that will form part of a new green hydrogen plant being built near Glasgow in Scotland.

In addition to the electrolyser, the new plant will comprise a 20MW solar photovoltaic facility and a 500MW battery energy storage system. Together they will produce up to 8 tonnes of green hydrogen per day.

According to Scottish Power, a subsidiary of the Spanish utilities firm Iberdrola, the zero-carbon energy source will be used by industries and companies that operate heavy vehicles such as buses and refuse trucks, to help them lower their emissions.

Mark Griffin, hydrogen market development manager for clean fuels at BOC, said, “The scale of this project demonstrates the growing demand for clean hydrogen and as a member of the Green Hydrogen for Scotland partnership, we’re delighted to bring our hydrogen mobility and refuelling project expertise to help deliver a ground-breaking facility in Glasgow.”

If plans for the green energy facility are approved by authorities, it will become the first project to be delivered by the Green Hydrogen for Scotland partnership.

The partnership was established by Scottish Power, BOC and ITM Power. While manufacturer ITM Power will be responsible for delivering the electrolyser, gas company BOC will engineer and operate the facility using renewable energy provided by Scottish Power.

The hydrogen plant - to be constructed next to Scottish Power’s Whitelee onshore windfarm - is one of 53 such projects submitted to the Next Generation EU programme by Iberdrola, which could potentially activate investments of up to €2.5 billion.

Barry Carruthers, Scottish Power’s hydrogen director, said, “Whitelee keeps breaking barriers, first the UK’s largest onshore wind farm, and soon to be home to the UK’s largest electrolyser. The site has played a vital role in helping the UK to decarbonise and we look forward to delivering another vital form of zero carbon generation energy at the site to help Glasgow and Scotland achieve their net zero goals.”

Scottish Power, which is expecting local authorities to issue a decision on the planning application later this year, said it is aiming to supply hydrogen to the commercial market before 2023.