(London / UK) – The British government is searching for anchor points for a “clean energy supply”. Large-scale hydrogen-to-power (H2P) plants currently still face hurdles, as infrastructure such as newly constructed transport and storage facilities involves long lead times, explains the Department for Energy.
In 2022, the British energy utility Scottish Power announced plans to test a new high-pressure electrolyzer technology that could reduce the production costs of green hydrogen. Manufacturer Supercritical Solutions Ltd. completed a feasibility study in 2023. © Scottish Power plc
According to the press release, innovative hydrogen-to-power projects that do not require a broader hydrogen infrastructure and are scheduled to be commissioned by 2 could play a "crucial role" on the path to a clean energy supply. The project believes that generating electricity using low-carbon hydrogen will be "a critical component of the future electricity system" to reduce the island's dependence on gas. The "Clean Power 2030" action plan forecasts a need for 2030 to 40 gigawatts of flexible generation capacity. A market survey is now being conducted to collect information on innovative hydrogen-to-power projects.
“To support the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, we want to understand the value of innovative projects that could start generating electricity from 2030 percent low-carbon hydrogen by 100, before large-scale infrastructure is available,” says the call for industry to participate.
In particular, we are looking for projects that will enable electricity generation from hydrogen by 2030 in order to gain insights for a later large-scale H2P introduction. "We expect that such projects will be deployed commercially after commissioning and successful demonstration of the H2P technology."
Companies should work with the government
The government is asking for information on concrete plans for projects that aim to generate electricity from hydrogen by 2030 or that could be accelerated to achieve this. Of particular interest are
- current plans for the deployment of H2P until 2030, the expected capacity of the plant, the number of operating hours per year, the expected costs and hydrogen supply plans, including all planned arrangements for the production, storage and transport of hydrogen
- Magnitude, configuration and other features of H2P plants that could be operational by 2030
- technical and other Insights from the operation of such a plant in order to use it for a broad H2P introduction.
Supply chains should also be identified, as well as technological risks and plans to address them. Information is also requested on which specific technological improvements the companies intend to achieve or test during the planned implementation of an innovative H2P plant.
Two technologies are being considered
According to the ministry, hydrogen-to-hydropower (H2P) is one of two technologies under closer consideration for decarbonizing the energy system. The other is "Power CCUS" (also "CCS," "Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage"), a multi-stage process of capturing CO2 produced in industrial processes, transporting it, and then permanently storing it underground. However, contrary to claims made by some industry stakeholders, a study indicates that this principle is not yet working globally ( as we reported ). Numerous CCS projects have been discontinued or have failed in recent years, according to a report published in March 2024 by the US Institute of Energy Economic and Financial Analysis ("The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly reality about CCS").
Innovative H2P projects
A "Hydrogen to Power Business Model" (H2PBM), on the other hand, reduces investment risk. In the update to the Hydrogen Strategy published in December, the UK government committed to consulting industry on innovative H2P projects that could be implemented before large-scale hydrogen infrastructure is commissioned.
The online market survey ends on May 12, 2025.
Photo above
Downing Street, the British Prime Minister's residence: The government launches a market inquiry into electricity generation from innovative hydrogen projects. © Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC/MOD
