H2H Saltend receives planning permission

Hydrogen from H2H Saltend would cut related emissions from Saltend Chemical plant (Photo: Equinor)

H2H Saltend has been granted planning permission by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. It is anticipated that the move will help strengthen the case for the new installation in upcoming government negotiations.

The decision is described as coming at a ‘vital time’, as the project prepares for application into the government’s Cluster Sequencing Track-1 Expansion process.

“This decision comes at a very opportune moment, as we await the launch of the Government’s next phase of the Cluster Sequencing process for the Humber, and it puts H2H Saltend in a strong position, should we submit a bid,” said Derek Ho, H2H Saltend project director.

H2H Saltend is a project being planned by Equinor, a Norwegian energy company. While the company also works with oil and gas, it has a further focus on renewables and low-carbon solutions.

The project covers construction of a 600 MW low-carbon hydrogen production plant. The site will produce blue hydrogen derived from natural gas (methane). The carbon dioxide produced as a result of the H2 production would be collected and delivered to a carbon capture storage unit via the East Coast Cluster/Northern Endurance Partnership CO2 transport and storage system.

The amount of CO2 captured and stored would total about 900,000 tonnes per year. This is equivalent to the CO2 produced annually by about 500,000 cars.

Located on the east coast of the UK near Hull, H2H Saltend would help reduce local carbon emissions, while establishing the Humber Valley as an international hub for low-carbon H2 production. It could further help the area, currently a carbon-intensive region, to become CO2 net-zero by 2040.

The H2H Saltend project is part of Equinor’s ‘Hydrogen to Humber’ strategy which will see a total of 1.8 GW of low-carbon hydrogen produced in the region. This would represent nearly 20% of the UK’s national target by 2030. The network would link Saltend with a site in Easington and Aldbrough storage facility via hydrogen pipelines.