BP has secured planning approval for phase one of a solar-powered green hydrogen production, storage and distribution hub in the Scottish port town of Aberdeen.

The Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub, in which BP is partnering with the local city council, is scheduled to start up in 2025 with output of more than 800kg/d of electrolytic hydrogen.

The project includes a hydrogen refuelling facility for buses, cars, vans and trucks. Power for the electrolyser will be drawn from a local solar farm via an underground grid connection.

“We are aiming to stimulate demand for hydrogen by working with fleets in and around the city and, through the wider Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub programme, help the people and businesses of Aberdeen capture value through the energy transition,” says Oliver Taylor, chief executive for BP Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy, the joint venture development company.

800kg/d – Phase one hydrogen production

Future phases of the project could see production scaled up through further investment to supply larger volumes of green hydrogen for rail, freight and marine, as well as supply of hydrogen for heat and potentially export.

The Aberdeen project has not made the shortlist for the UK government’s electrolytic hydrogen subsidy allocation, which was published in March. Five proposed projects in Scotland have made the shortlist, which includes projects totalling 408MW.

The government expects to make first round subsidy awards to up to 250MW of capacity in the fourth quarter of 2023, with the first projects expected online in 2025. A second expanded allocation round is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter, with the government expected to award subsidies to projects totalling up to 750MW.

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Author: Stuart Penson