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EurOil POLICY EurOil

Zero Carbon Humber applies for

phase-two funding

UK NORWAY’S Equinor and its 11 partners in depleted Hamilton, Hamilton North and Len-
the Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) venture have nox fields and their infrastructure to perma-
The project seeks to applied for phase-two funding for a project to nently store CO2 from industry in North-West
decarbonise the UK’s decarbonise the UK’s most carbon-intensive England and North Wales.
most carbon-intensive region. Eni’s work will fall under another govern-
region. The group announced on October 7 they had ment-backed hydrogen-CCS project known as
applied for GBP75mn ($97mn) in public and HyNet.
private sector funding for the project in north- “The Energy Integration work we’ve been
east England, which aims to ‘create a low-car- leading shows that the combination of various
bon cluster in the Humber, the UK’s largest and energy systems, including carbon capture and
most carbon-intensive industrial region.” They hydrogen, can make a significant contribution to
obtained phase-one funding back in April. the UK’s net zero 2050 target,” OGA CEO Andy
ZCH’s centrepiece is the Hydrogen to Hum- Samuel said. “HyNet is an exciting example of
ber (H2H) Saltend plant, which will produce energy integration in action – re-using existing
hydrogen from North Sea gas arriving at the Eas- infrastructure and depleted reservoirs for sig-
ington terminal. It will be the largest of its kind nificant carbon storage, coupled with hydrogen
in the world, boasting a 600-MW autothermal generation for a variety of innovative uses.”
reforming unit and carbon, capture and storage A consortium of Cadent, Progressive Energy,
(CCS) technology. CO2 will be piped offshore CF Fertilisers, Essar, Peel and the University of
for storage in depleted reservoirs in the southern Chester won grant funding in 2019 for pre-front-
North Sea. end engineering and design (FEED) work on the
“This proposal can bring tremendous bene- CO2 storage project last year. Eni’s licence does
fits to the Humber region, protecting industries, not cover development activities such as drilling
creating jobs, promoting economic growth and injection testing, which will require further
and reducing emissions,” Equinor’s executive permissions.
vice-president and UK country manager, Al HyNet also envisages the production of
Cook, said in a statement. “Our bid demon- hydrogen from gas at the Stanlow refinery in
strates the kind of ambitious action that is North-West England. Local industrial sites will
needed for the UK to achieve its net zero carbon also be converted to run on hydrogen rather than
target by 2050.” gas, and a network will be developed to distrib-
HSH2 is expected to slash CO2 emissions ute the fuel.
by around 900,000 metric tonnes per year (tpy) Many European countries are exploring
under its first phase. ZCH also comprises a hydrogen as a means of delivering on decarbon-
hydrogen and CO2 network that will be devel- ising their economies. Some countries like Ger-
oped by National Grid Ventures to link the plant many favour the development of so-called green
with other industrial complexes in the region. hydrogen, produced from water using renewable
These include the Drax power plant, SEE Ther- energy. But the UK’s focus is primarily on blue
mal’s Keadby site, Uniper’s Killingholme facility hydrogen, derived from gas, with emissions
and the British Steel works in Scunthorpe. from the process abated using CCS technology.
The aim is to achieve net-zero emissions Other key projects include Acorn, a scheme to
from the Humber region within two decades. produce hydrogen from gas arriving at the St
Equinor’s partners in the venture are Associ- Fergus terminal in Scotland.
ated British Ports, British Steel, Centrica Stor- The UK set up its own hydrogen advisory
age, Drax Group, Mitsubishi Power, National council in July, co-chaired by the UK’s Minister
Grid Ventures, px Group, SSE Thermal, Saltend of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth,
Cogeneration Company, Uniper and the Uni- Kwasi Kwarteng, and Sinead Lynch, the UK
versity of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing country chair of Royal Dutch Shell. The council
Research Centre. will work to draw up an effective framework to
In related news, the UK’s Oil and Gas Author- encourage investment in hydrogen technology.
ity (OGA) announced on October 8 it had issued The government faces calls to introduce a
a six-year licence to Italy’s Eni for CO2 appraisal national hydrogen strategy – something many
and storage in the Liverpool Bay area of the East European countries exploring hydrogen have
Irish Sea. The oil major intends to convert the already done.:™

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