Statera Energy (London) has submitted plans for the U.K.’s first utility scale green hydrogen project to be built in Aberdeenshire. Kintore Hydrogen will help balance a renewables-led power system by using surplus renewable energy to produce green hydrogen.
Once constructed, Kintore Hydrogen will be the largest project of its kind in Europe. The first 500 MW of operational capacity is expected to be online by 2028, and when operating at its full, 3 GW capacity Kintore Hydrogen could save up to 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
This nationally significant project will help balance the UK’s power system, enabling the development of more renewable energy sources like offshore wind. The green hydrogen produced by Kintore Hydrogen could also play an essential role in decarbonizing the UK’s carbon-intensive sectors, for example heavy industry and flexible power generation.
Kintore Hydrogen will also provide significant support to the green skills transition. The project is expected to create up to 3,500 jobs during its construction and up to 200 high quality jobs on-site once operational, delivering a projected benefit of £1bn to the UK economy by 2035.
Tom Vernon, CEO Statera Energy said: We are delighted to have submitted planning for Kintore Hydrogen, the first utility scale green hydrogen project in the U.K. If approved, Kintore Hydrogen could materially contribute to the growth of the UK’s hydrogen economy, support the UK’s energy independence, and accelerate the development of homegrown industrial supply chains.
The Electricity System Operator forecasts a £5 billion saving to consumers if flexible demand, like hydrogen electrolyzers, is strategically located behind electricity network bottlenecks in Scotland. Kintore Hydrogen’s location, behind those bottlenecks and close to abundant water resources and wind power from the North Sea, can help to deliver these cost savings to energy users.
Vernon adds: Over the coming years, the sheer volume of wind generation coming onto the system in the UK will make electrolysers critical for harnessing wind energy that would otherwise go to waste. Kintore Hydrogen will convert surplus wind power to green hydrogen to be used when and where it is needed most.
Kintore Hydrogen is designed to fully capitalise on the potential that hydrogen has to offer. The location and scale of this project means it can make best use of surplus wind power, lowering hydrogen production costs. It will help balance the grid, contribute to the UK’s energy security, and support the decarbonisation of the UK’s hard-to-abate industries and power sector.
Statera Energy was founded in 2016 to help the UK make the transformational shift to a renewable led energy system by providing flexible storage solutions that help to balance energy supply.
Today, Statera has over 1GW of UK projects operational or in construction, and over 16GW in development or consented. With £700 million invested to date and up to £7 billion planned by 2030, it is strengthening UK energy security and supporting the low-carbon transition.