ITM Power and partners ScottishPower Renewables and BOC are seeking planners’ approval to double the size of their intended green hydrogen electrolyser near Glasgow.
Co-located at the UK’s biggest onshore windfarm, ScottishPower Renewables’ Whitlee site on Eaglesham Moor, 20 miles south west of the city, the trio’s gas plant will now be upscaled to 20MW.
A 40MW solar farm and a 50MW battery also feature in today’s planning submission. The electrolyser, solar farm and battery will be installed about 5km west of Lochgoin Reservoir, adjacent to the existing Whitelee Extension substation.
Whitlee is the first production site to be revealed in the partners’ Green Hydrogen for Glasgow project, itself part of the Green Hydrogen for Scotland strategy, announced in September.
The national plan intends a web of interconnected refuelling stations and generating plants, intended to bring Scotland to net zero by 2045
Given planning approval due this autumn, the parties intend the Whitlee electrolyser to be generating on a commercial scale before 2023. It will draw on power from the park’s existing 215 turbines, capable of outputting 539 MW per day.
The venue for the COP 26 global climate summit this November, Glasgow is also targetting 2030 to become Britain’s first net zero city. Carbon-free transport and substituting hydrogen in heating systems are two priorities for the plant’s output, the parties say.
Additional market demand underpins the project, ITM told investors today. No capital budget was disclosed.
ITM Power last year raised £172m in new funds, including a £30m investment by Snam, one of the world’s leading energy infrastructure operators. At its Sheffield home, it operates the world’s largest electrolyser factory, with an output capacity of (1,000MW) per year. In January, ITM Power received an order for the world’s largest PEM electrolyser of 24MW from Linde, its German investors.
Graham Cooley ITM Power’s CEO, commented: “This is an exciting milestone based on market development for green hydrogen for the city of Glasgow, that will see the UK’s largest electrolyser deployment to date being realised in Scotland.”
Mark Griffin, Hydrogen Market Development Manager for Clean Fuels at BOC said: “We’re delighted to bring our hydrogen mobility and refuelling project expertise to help deliver a ground-breaking facility.”
