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INEOS to make significant investment at Runcorn site
INOVYN, a subsidiary of INEOS, has announced plans to upgrade existing hydrogen production at its Runcorn facility. The investment will enable the supply of compressed fuel-cell quality hydrogen to the mobility and power generation sectors and is part of more than a €2bn investment in green hydrogen recently announced by INEOS.
INOVYN, which has been producing and using low-carbon hydrogen at its Runcorn site for over 100 years, is set to ramp up supply of hydrogen to fuel the UK’s transport network. Specifically, the investment will deliver dedicated on-site facilities for the purification and compression of existing low-carbon, fuel-cell quality hydrogen for subsequent loading and transportation and distribution to fuelling stations across the UK.
An INEOS spokesperson confirmed to Zenoot that the investment was worth “tens of millions” and was the “first step on the journey and the first investment”.
INEOS is to invest tens of millions of pounds to upgrade hydrogen production at its INOVYN plant in Runcorn to supply the mobility and power generation sectors / Picture: INEOS
Existing hydrogen production at INOVYN’s Runcorn site has the capacity to provide low-carbon fuel to power over 1,000 buses or 2,000 trucks, where battery electric drive systems are not appropriate due to range, payload and critical refuelling times.
INOVYN is already Europe’s largest operator of electrolysis technology, which is used to make clean hydrogen. The investment at the site will kick-start the emerging hydrogen market and further support the North West’s regional commitment to carbon neutrality.
Geir Tuft, CEO of INOVYN, said: “Our expanding portfolio of clean hydrogen projects strengthens INOVYN’s sustainability strategy and supports the drive to net-zero across the UK and the rest of Europe. INOVYN is in a unique position to reaffirm its expertise in hydrogen production and electrolysis, and to progress the green energy transition through the use of clean hydrogen.”
The project builds on INOVYN’s hydrogen portfolio within the UK, including its involvement with consortiums such as HyNet North West, a clean hydrogen development project underpinned by INOVYN’s storage technology infrastructure to unlock a low-carbon energy for the North West of England and North Wales.
INOVYN and its parent company INEOS are involved in multiple projects across Europe to develop green hydrogen and to replace existing carbon-based sources of energy, feedstocks and fuel. The group will work closely with national and European governments to facilitate hydrogen’s significant role in the new green economy.