(Düsseldorf) – The Düsseldorf-based energy group Uniper SE is planning to develop large-scale hydrogen production at its Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant site in Nottinghamshire, UK, about 2,5 hours' drive north of London. According to the information, an electrolysis capacity of 500 megawatts will be gradually built there by the end of the decade. The first 100 megawatts could therefore be put into operation in the second half of the 2020s.
Once the old power station is shut down, a “zero carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands” will be built in Ratcliffe. Coal-fired power generation there will end in September 2024 after 50 years. There are usable infrastructure facilities there such as network connections, demineralized water and a cooling water system. The 265 hectare site will enable expansion and facilitate future hydrogen production up to a gigawatt scale.
Council approves development measures
Rushcliffe Borough Council had already granted provisional planning permission (“Local Development Order”) for certain development measures at the power station site on July 13th. According to Uniper, this enables, among other things, the development of low-carbon energy production before the old plants are decommissioned. The group says 7.000 to 8.000 jobs could be created there in low-carbon energy generation and advanced manufacturing.
However, the funding decision still depends on a number of preconditions, including “securing the necessary planning and environmental approvals, hydrogen offtake agreements and a low-carbon hydrogen agreement with the government”.
In Great Britain, Uniper owns and operates seven power plants, a gas storage facility and two high-pressure gas pipelines. It also has extensive long-term regasification capacity at the Grain LNG terminal in Kent. Uniper describes hydrogen production as “one of the most important pillars” of the new corporate strategy. The goal is to build an electrolyzer capacity of more than one gigawatt across the company by 2030.
Photos
Uniper power plant site at Ratcliffe on Soar. © Uniper UK
