A planning application has been made for a 20MW electrolyser, 40MW solar farm and 50MW battery energy storage, to be sited at ScottishPower Renewables’ Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow. ITM Power said that application had doubled the planned electrolyser scale capacity and is in response to market demand.
ScottishPower expects a decision on the planning application by the end of autumn 2021.
The electrolyser is part of the Green Hydrogen for Glasgow project which aims to supply 8t of green hydrogen a day to the commercial market before 2023. It will support Glasgow City Council’s ambition to create a zero emissions vehicle fleet, using only electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles by the end of 2029. The installation will be adjacent to the existing Whitelee Extension substation.
The green hydrogen project will be led by ScottishPower, engineered and operated by BOC, using wind and solar power produced by ScottishPower Renewables and incorporate the ITM electrolyser.
The companies aim to create a series of green hydrogen production facilities with clusters of refuelling stations across Scotland.
Barry Carruthers, ScottishPower’s Hydrogen Director, said: ”With all eyes set to be on Glasgow later this year as the city hosts the UN’s 26th climate change conference, COP26, it’s fantastic to be making this next important step towards delivering green hydrogen for Glasgow.
“Whitelee keeps breaking barriers, first the UK’s largest onshore wind farm, and soon to be home to the UK’s largest electrolyser. The site has played a vital role in helping the UK to decarbonise and we look forward to delivering another vital form of zero carbon energy generation at the site to help Glasgow and Scotland achieve their net zero goals.”
Mark Griffin, Hydrogen Market Development Manager for Clean Fuels at BOC said: ”The scale of this project demonstrates the growing demand for clean hydrogen and as a member of the Green Hydrogen for Scotland partnership, we’re delighted to bring our hydrogen mobility and refuelling project expertise to help deliver a ground-breaking facility in Glasgow.”
Stay up to date with New Power – subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter here
Further reading
All-hydrogen display houses to open at NGN site in April
BEIS sets out proposed CCUS timetable, aims for investment decision on two 2020s clusters by 1H 2022