Hydrogen
Life cycle
The hydrogen supply chain is made up of 3 components; hydrogen production, distribution and end use, and is supported by components such as a trained work force and continuous innovation.
East Midlands Hydrogen is committed to advocating for all parts of the hydrogen economy within the region and through its partners has already made significant progress within each of the key components.
Read on for information on why the East Midlands is uniquely placed for hydrogen production, distribution and end use.
The East Midlands: uniquely set up for hydrogen production
Historically, the East Midlands has been home to an array of sites that produced electricity from fossil fuels (in particular coal) along ‘Megawatt Valley’, which is connected by high voltage transmission lines. As fossil fuel electricity generation is phased out and renewables are phased in, there is a significant opportunity to make use of the existing electricity transmission infrastructure to import renewable energy that can be used to make hydrogen.
Find out more about prospective hydrogen producers in the East Midlands Hydrogen region by clicking the tiles below.
Uniper has been working with regional partners to develop a vision for the future of the Ratcliffe power station site.
HyMarnham Power aims to develop the production, storage, and transportation of low carbon hydrogen.
Combining its patented technology with world class expertise in synthesis gas purification, Chinook bring to market hydrogen with net negative carbon emissions at industry leading pricing.
GeoPura is a leading hydrogen innovator committed to driving the adoption of clean and sustainable energy solutions. GeoPura aims to reshape the energy landscape and accelerate the transition through zero emission fuels.
East Midlands Distribution
East Midlands Distribution Industry in the East Midlands need hydrogen in very large quantities to replace and decarbonise their existing natural gas usage; such a scale of hydrogen just isn’t practical to deliver by road, which means that a resilient pipeline network will be needed.
Cadent’s ambitious plans for the East Coast Hydrogen pipeline network have changed the landscape, bringing a reliable and clean hydrogen supply within sight for large swathes of the region. For some industries, hydrogen is critical to their decarbonisation plans and many local jobs will depend on being able to access it by pipeline, in the face of rising carbon prices that make using natural gas more expensive. The pipeline to connect supply and demand will not only open up new economic opportunities, it will protect manufacturing jobs by allowing those industries to keep operating in the region.
The East Midlands is also host to smaller scale hydrogen distribution companies such as Geopura, who make low carbon hydrogen and transport it to locations where a local generator converts it to electrical power. This allows the decarbonisation impact of an East Midlands company to be felt far and wide as well as growing local employment and supply chain opportunities.
East Midlands industrial demand for Hydrogen
Cadent has managed a programme of industrial engagement to truly understand the volume of industrial demand for hydrogen. In the East Midlands Hydrogen region alone, Cadent has received forecasts from companies covering 70 sites across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and northern Leicestershire and has signed 20 memoranda of understanding with these companies to plan for a hydrogen supply.
These companies are forecasting to use more than 10TWh hydrogen per year by 2035+. This is the equivalent of 1.9million tonnes of CO2 abatement per year or the equivalent natural gas used by 860,000 homes per year.
Products manufactured in the East Midlands supply the UK and international markets and include household names such as Walkers, Hanson, Forterra, Nestle, British Gypsum, Rolls Royce, Toyota and Boots. Hydrogen forecasts have also been received from customers such as NHS hospitals, universities, East Midlands Airport and flexible generation companies such as Mercia Power Response. Without a supply of hydrogen, many regional industries will struggle to decarbonise their operations.
Cadent is exploring a new pipeline to connect these industrial customers to potential hydrogen production at a variety of sites across the region such as Ratcliffe-On-Soar site and High Marnham, as well as to hydrogen production and storage sites in the Humber region, thus creating a resilient network.
Mercia Power, Ltd are a key provider of flexible power response services to the UK electrical grid, helping to balance the supply of renewable energy with demand.
In the long-term, Toyota considers hydrogen and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles to be the ultimate environmentally friendly solution.
British Sugar, as part of the ABF Sugar division, has targeted to reduce their carbon footprint by 30% by 2030.
Hanson has been looking at the feasibility of using hydrogen as a fuel source for some of its production sites.
Hydrogen demand forecasts
East Midlands Hydrogen Industrial Hydrogen Forecasts to Date
Hydrogen forecasts received
by sector (GWh) - 2030
Hydrogen forecasts received
by sector (GWh) - 2035
Hydrogen forecasts received
by sector (GWh) - beyond 2035
