3 minute read
£100m to be invested in Scotland’s hydrogen sector
Scotland’s hydrogen sector will receive £100m over the next five years to support a green recovery and its just transition to net zero. It has also become the first country in the UK to publish a Hydrogen Policy Statement.
Scotland aims to become a leading hydrogen nation, with an ambition to generate 5GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 – enough to power the equivalent of 1.8 million homes. Economic impact research suggests the industry has the potential to be worth up to £25bn a year to the Scottish economy by 2045.
The announcement follows recent hydrogen news from Scotland, including plans for a new multi-million pound production plant near Glasgow and the delivery of the world’s first hydrogen double decker bus in Aberdeen.
The Scottish Government has announced plans to invest £100m over the next five years in Scotland’s hydrogen sector / Picture: Getty/iStock
Never miss the latest manufacturing news by signing up to our newsletter here
Scotland’s energy minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “We are the first country in the UK to publish a Hydrogen Policy Statement that sets out how we can make the most of Scotland’s massive potential in this new sector. Hydrogen is rapidly emerging across the international community as a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of the economy and a key element of the energy transition picture. Scotland is prepared to play its full part together with other European nations – that’s why we’re publishing this key policy statement today and investing £100 million of Scottish Government resources to stimulate the sector and its supply chain.
“Scotland has, in abundance, all the raw ingredients necessary for the production of low-cost hydrogen as well as one of the largest concentrations of offshore engineering expertise in the world that can harness Scotland’s renewable energy potential in technologies like wind, wave and tidal power, to produce green hydrogen. Indeed, Scotland is one of the best placed nations anywhere in the world to develop competitively priced hydrogen for our own economy’s needs and to generate a surplus in supply to export to other European nations with emerging demand, but insufficient supply to meet their own needs.
“No one fuel or technology is, by itself, the solution to climate change, but hydrogen has the potential to be a very important part of a progressive, decarbonised energy system supporting our transition to net zero in transport, heating and industrial decarbonisation. We are committed to supporting this emerging sector to deliver a transformation in how we produce, store and utilise energy and to maximising the economic benefits that the production of hydrogen can bring.”
Nigel Holmes, chief executive of the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, added: “We welcome this Hydrogen Policy statement which underlines the opportunity for Scotland to be the leading hydrogen nation, and puts us on the right path to deliver net zero by 2045. This ambition builds on the experience and lessons learned with projects in Aberdeen, Fife, Orkney, and the Western Isles. Islands and ports will be hubs for energy innovation, bringing together large scale renewables for green hydrogen production.
“The identified capacity of 25GW of electrolysis by 2045 will produce 126TWh per year of green hydrogen across Scotland, with 32TWh to deliver Scotland’s net zero target and 94TWh of green hydrogen for export.”