Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Hydrogen Programme
The Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Hydrogen Programme brings together key partners who share ambitions for the region’s renewable, low carbon future. The programme aims to develop a state-of-the-art hub in the Cromarty Firth to produce, store and distribute green hydrogen at scale to the region, Scotland, other parts of the UK and Europe.
The Highlands will be at the centre of future large-scale production of green hydrogen.
ScottishPower and Storegga have expressed their support for Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, which could attract more than £1 billion investment to the area and create thousands of jobs and local supply chain opportunities during construction.
The joint developers recently announced plans to develop one of the UK’s largest green hydrogen electrolyser plants on the Cromarty Firth. The project’s initial phase would see the facility produce up to 30 megawatts (MW) of green hydrogen to be used in heating processes in nearby whisky distilleries.
Achieving Green Freeport status will have the potential to bring forward significant investment in a larger-scale plant by up to 10 years and will place the Highlands firmly at the centre of future large-scale production of green hydrogen, because of the region’s enormous growth potential of offshore wind, which is critical to the industry’s development.
The Cromarty Firth has been identified as an ideal location for the green hydrogen hub. This is due to its proximity to large-scale renewable electricity supply and a high level of demand locally for this sustainable fuel, including: distilleries, industry, transport (road, rail & aviation) and domestic applications. This is backed by local supply chain expertise and The Highland Council’s ambition for the region to become a hydrogen economy.
Interest in the Cromarty Firth’s green hydrogen opportunity has grown rapidly and the Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Hydrogen Programme Masterplan has been featured in the Scottish Government’s Hydrogen Policy Statement.
The Hydrogen Working Group currently features over 100 member organisations, with a shared interest in developing a state-of-the-art Green Hydrogen hub.
Distilleries Project
The North of Scotland Hydrogen Programme ‘Distilleries Project’ study identified a number of sites around the Firth deemed fit to host a 35MW electrolyser facility by 2024, producing up to 14 tonnes of green hydrogen per day.
The facility could be further expanded to meet growing demand from across Scotland, the UK and internationally for green hydrogen. This zero-carbon fuel forms a key part of the Scottish Government’s decarbonisation strategy and would provide a massive contribution to the ambitions of becoming a leading hydrogen economy by 2030 and net-zero by 2045.
The study examined the viability of a green hydrogen hub in the Cromarty Firth supplying distilleries in the region with hydrogen at a competitive price to help decarbonise their heating and processes in making whisky.
The report said the Cromarty Firth’s suitability was boosted by a large regional concentration of renewable energy potential, including future offshore wind development sites which would be able to supply the volume of clean electricity needed for the electrolyser.
It was backed by partners including ScottishPower, Pale Blue Dot (A Storegga Group Company), Port of Cromarty Firth, and drinks giants Glenmorangie, Whyte & Mackay and Diageo.
Barry Carruthers, Hydrogen Director, ScottishPower: “Barry Carruthers, Hydrogen Director at ScottishPower, said: “This is an industry-leading project, harnessing the region’s rich, renewable energy to help support industries and sectors near the Port of Cromarty Firth on their own decarbonisation journeys. The North of Scotland Hydrogen Programme will see the Highlands become home to one of the UK’s largest green hydrogen facilities and we’re looking forward to moving ahead with our partners, the Scottish Government, Highland Council and all local stakeholders as we move into the next stages of the project.
Dr. Peter Nelson, Operations Director, The Glenmorangie Company:
“We have all learnt a huge amount from the feasibility study into the potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source and excitingly for us it is firmly rooted in, and relevant to, the particular needs and challenges we all face in the North of Scotland.
It is a great example of collaboration across different companies and sectors and we look forward to progressing discussions further.”
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Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport
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