Bradford Hydrogen

Introduction

Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen is a planned hydrogen production facility to be located in the heart of Bradford. Based on the site of the iconic Birkshall Gas Holders, which provided gas for local homes and businesses, the site is being transformed into a cleaner energy hub for the future.

Using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, the hydrogen from the site will be available for vehicles via a refuelling station or delivered to industry in the surrounding areas to support decarbonisation by replacing natural gas.

The flagship plant will be one of the largest low-carbon hydrogen production facilities in the UK and was the largest scheme to receive government funding through the first hydrogen allocation round from the Hydrogen Production Business Models.

The refuelling facility will benefit the people of Bradford and the wider community with lower carbon emissions in the area contributing towards improving the air quality and contributing towards UK’s carbon reduction commitments made at COP26.

No.1

The biggest hydrogen production scheme to receive HAR1 funding

30 jobs

Created during construction

800 buses

Could run on hydrogen from the plant

12.5 tonnes

Of daily hydrogen production

Project Partners

Clean energy pioneers Hygen and N-Gen are working in partnership to deliver the Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen (BLCH) production facility

Hygen are a company focused on building low carbon hydrogen production sites. They are investing in developing more than 1GW of low-carbon hydrogen production projects across the UK. For more information visit hygenenergy.com

N-Gen develops, builds and operates green hydrogen production facilities and associated infrastructure. Working with clients who are large gas users, including transport operators, manufacturing and the food industry, N-Gen helps customers meet decarbonisation goals and legal obligations by switching to cleaner fuels. For more information visit n-genenergy.com

Hydrogen

In June 2019 the Government raised the UK’s ambition on tackling climate change by legislating for a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for the whole economy by 2050. Decarbonising the energy sector is integral to achieving this goal and requires major investment in a variety of technologies, including hydrogen. The UK government has committed to a target of 10GW of low carbon hydrogen by 2030 to which this project will contribute.

Hydrogen is made from the splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen. It can be used as a method of utilising low carbon energy at times where generation is high but demand in the area is low, maximising the use of energy.

Hydrogen can also be used to replace carbon emitting fuels such a diesel and natural gas. Low carbon hydrogen, such as the type that will be produced at the Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility, can be used in the transport industry, for example to support vehicles undertaking longer routes, that can’t be easily supported using batteries. The waste product from the use of hydrogen is water meaning in residential areas emissions will be lower than the existing diesel buses on the road.

Why it is needed in Bradford

Bradford Council declared a climate emergency in January 2019 and are committed to becoming a net zero organisation by 2038, working with partners to reduce the District’s green house gas emissions.

In March 2020 Bradford Council published their Sustainable Development Action Plan which commits to embracing the opportunities offered by hydrogen, among many other plans to improve the green infrastructure in the city.

The Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility is close to two bus depots where Bowling Back Lane meets Wakefield Road. A hydrogen facility could support future bus fleets that operate from these locations and help Bradford’s local transport be as green as possible.

The measures Bradford is putting in place are in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and will cut carbon and costs, help to generate new jobs and sustainable economic growth through investment in a green economy. Research undertaken by Leeds City Region suggests that clean growth could add £11bn to the city region economy and create 100,000 extra skilled jobs for local people.

FAQs

What is the national need for hydrogen?

Government analysis suggests that 20-35% of the UK’s energy consumption by 2050 could be hydrogen-based, supporting the country to meet its targets of net zero emissions by 2050 and cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 – a view endorsed by the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee *. Hydrogen will significantly assist by:

Decarbonising transport sector such as buses and possibly HGVs.
Decarbonising the heating system with blending on the network.
Maximising the use of renewables so there is no curtailed output, and all renewables are converted into energy that can be used to decarbonise the UK.

*www.gov.uk

What are the economic benefits of the hydrogen economy?

The hydrogen revolution brings with it significant supply chain and employment benefits throughout the whole planning, development, construction and operational cycle of a project’s life. In 2021 the UK Government announced plans to kick start world-leading hydrogen economy, supporting over 9,000 UK jobs and unlocking £4 billion investment by 2030.

Is hydrogen dangerous?

Hydrogen is a class 3 gas and does have an explosion risk. However, it has been handled and produced for many years and there are numerous safety measures put in place to ensure that any risk is low and if any failures do occur that all locals and personnel are kept safe.

Why hydrogen rather than electricity?

Hydrogen allows you to maximise the use of electricity, renewables are intermittent and do not tend to line up with the time where demand is highest. Hydrogen allows renewables to be used and then the power used later – it’s a way of storing electricity.
There are some use cases where batteries are not ideal – these tend to be long distance journeys and where there is not time for long recharging. Examples of these are buses and machines on construction sites or quarries so hydrogen is a good use case here.
Hydrogen can also be transported around to be used in areas where there is not a large capacity for new electricity connection which would make batteries hard to recharge.

Does hydrogen pose a health risk?

Hydrogen is a non-toxic fuel and does not pose a health risk. The by-product in the production of hydrogen is oxygen which is released to atmosphere and wastewater that is not used in the process which can be returned to the local wastewater system. When used as a fuel the cell releases water which is a reduction in harmful emissions compared to a diesel bus.

Are hydrogen plants noisy?

Hydrogen plants have some noisy equipment such as transformers and noisy compressors however they will not exceed noise level restrictions. Any equipment that could affect residents will be protected with acoustic barriers to limit noise levels in the surrounding area.

Get in touch

For any feedback or questions please email: info@hygenenergy.com

info@hygenenergy.com

BD4 8UF