Air Products and VPI agree on large-scale hydrogen production in Humber
Most hydrogen produced would be used to decarbonize VPI Immingham’s existing power production.
Air Products signed a joint development agreement to drive forward the “Humber Hydrogen Hub” or “H3”, which seeks to develop a flagship 800 MW low-carbon hydrogen production facility in Immingham, UK.
As the UK’s largest industrial cluster, the Humber has the highest industrial carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. H3 would produce low-carbon hydrogen at a large scale, combining market-leading hydrogen production, carbon capture technology and offshore CO₂ storage currently under development for the Humber region.
The majority of the low-carbon hydrogen would serve as a substitute fuel for VPI’s existing third gas turbine power train. Additional low-carbon hydrogen would also be made available to other industrial users. Combined with the deployment of post-combustion capture technology on trains 1 and 2 at VPI Immingham as part of the Humber Zero project, H3 would bring substantial decarbonization to the VPI combined heat and power facilities, saving over two-thirds of the emissions from its Immingham industrial site.
The H3 project looks to capture up to two million tonnes of CO₂ per annum and contribute to achieving Net Zero in the wider Humber industrial region by 2040.
The H3 project has applied for “Strand 1” funding as part of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF). Administered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the fund aims to enhance hydrogen production at scale. It will contribute to the UK Government’s goal of realizing 10GW of low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030. As both companies move towards an investment decision, this marks a significant step that could bring hundreds of new jobs to the region during construction and operation.
Air Products and VPI look forward to constructive engagement with the Government on how the H3 project can become a reality.
Air Products’ Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Samir J. Serhan said, “Having a partner who is committed to decarbonizing their existing power production operations through the use of low-carbon hydrogen provides the secure hydrogen offtake that makes this an excellent opportunity for us to support them and the UK Government’s broader sustainability targets.”
Jonathan Briggs, VPI’s Project Director, said, “By partnering with Air Products on H3, we are harnessing the expertise of the world’s largest producer of hydrogen―and the operator of one of the largest low-carbon hydrogen facilities in Port Arthur, Texas, USA―to ensure that we can make a substantial contribution to the decarbonization of the Humber region.”
