(Sutherland / Scotland) – SSE Renewables and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy want to produce green hydrogen. The 108 megawatt onshore wind farm “Gordonbush” from SSE in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands will serve as the power source. The companies had already agreed and examined the possibilities of collaboration last year.
According to the plans, up to 2.000 tonnes of green hydrogen will be produced annually via electrolysis at the Gordonbush site near Brora. The project also includes lithium-ion battery storage for times when the wind farm generates more electricity than can be processed at the same time. The storage system can also supply electricity to the grid in the event of any lulls and stabilize it, according to a statement.
Building a value chain in the Highlands
As part of the project, SSE Renewables will also explore opportunities to unlock the full potential of the green hydrogen value chain in the Scottish Highlands. This includes working with potential customers from carbon-intensive sectors who want to decarbonize their energy and fuel supplies.
SSE Renewables is understood to have already submitted an application to Highland Council to review its plans for the proposed development. A public hearing will take place on site in April to involve the community and interest groups in the planning. The planning application for the electrolysis plant is expected to be submitted to Highland Council in summer 2022, while a separate application for the associated battery storage system is expected to be submitted to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit later this year.
The consortium
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA is based in the northern Spanish province of Vizcaya. The subsidiary of Siemens Energy was created in 2017 from the merger of the Siemens wind division with the Spanish Gamesa Corporation Technologie SA.
Perth, Scotland-based SSE Renewables is a subsidiary of SSE plc that develops and operates onshore and offshore wind farms and hydroelectric power plants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The “Gordonbush” wind farm, which went into operation in 2012 and the expansion completed in 2021, is located about ten kilometers west of Brora. It includes a total of 46 turbines, including eleven from Siemens Gamesa.
SSE plc is through its subsidiary SSE Thermal also involved, among other things, in a project with the Norwegian parastatal energy company Equinor ASA. The companies announced plans last summer to build “one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities” in Aldbrough, East Yorkshire, on the UK’s east coast. The plant could absorb low-carbon hydrogen as early as 2028.
Photos
Gordonbush wind farm. © SSE
