Plans are under way for another hydrogen production plant in northern Lincolnshire, with Centrica Energy Storage submitting an environmental impact screening request to North Lincolnshire Council for a 10MW facility.
The proposed site is on land north of the A18, adjacent to Melton Ross Quarry and situated between Barnetby-le-Wold and Kirmington. The plant would serve as the fuel source for the nearby kiln at Singleton Birch's adjacent quarry, one of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's leading lime suppliers.
Hydrogen, which can be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis, would be generated at the planned plant off the A18 through a variety of infrastructure designed for this method. Construction of the plant is estimated to take between four to eight months, with no agricultural land being lost as the site is backfilled quarry land, reports .
A short access road off the A18 will need to be developed for construction and future operation, and a pipeline would transport the hydrogen to Singleton Birch's kiln, providing decarbonisation benefits as the fuel source. The hydrogen production facility has been shortlisted for the Government's Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2) scheme, which could provide funding.
This year has seen several developments in hydrogen production in northern Lincolnshire, including the Immingham Green Energy Terminal receiving planning consent from the Government. The plan involves the establishment of a new liquid bulk import terminal featuring a 1.1km long jetty, and ammonia storage facilities. These will facilitate a green hydrogen production facility to be operated by Air Products.
A 'world-first' hydrogen power station is also being considered in North Lincolnshire. The Keadby Next Generation power station, proposed by SSE and Equinor, would have a capacity of 900MW.
It could be up and running by 2030, but this is contingent on obtaining Government planning consent due to the project's size. Meanwhile, Uniper Hydrogen º£½ÇÊÓƵ Limited has proposed a low carbon hydrogen production facility at Killingholme Power Station.
This project, known as Humber H2ub, would serve a specific local use, similar to the Centrica plan off the A18, and like that, it is also on the HAR2 Government funding shortlist. The hydrogen produced at Killingholme would supply Phillips 66 Humber Refinery, located four kilometres away. At last month's Lincolnshire Great Exhibition, energy companies showcased a model of a hydrogen production plant by RWE at a joint stall.
An environmental-related screening request is typically the initial planning stage in the development of energy production facilities, preceding a formal planning application.
Singleton Birch's site, which is set to receive the hydrogen produced by the proposed facility off the A18, is well-acquainted with innovation. The firm has previously collaborated with tech specialist Origen, a spin-out from Oxford University, to establish a pilot plant for zero carbon lime production at its Melton Ross Quarry site.
