The £300 million Trafford Green Hydrogen scheme is to be located within Carlton Power’s Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park and was first announced March 2021. It is the UK’s largest consented green hydrogen scheme and will be a catalyst for more low carbon generation and greater energy security in the North West, boosting investment in new energy infrastructure and job creation in the area.
The first phase of the Trafford Green Hydrogen scheme (at 15-20 MW) is likely to create around 200 construction jobs over a two-year period and create up to 10 full-time operational jobs with future phases to be constructed in response to demand for hydrogen in the region.
The scheme’s construction and operation is contingent on receiving financial support from the Government’s Hydrogen Investment Package, a multi-million pound programme to encourage the growth of the hydrogen economy across the UK.
“The development of the Trafford Green Hydrogen project, as a part of the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park, will be a spur for industry and transport operators in the Greater Manchester region to accelerate their plans to use green hydrogen and achieve their net zero carbon targets” said Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. “It also provides an important stimulus to job creation in Greater Manchester and further investment in renewable energy generation which will, in time, provide greater energy security. I’m delighted that Greater Manchester is in the vanguard of creating a vibrant hydrogen economy in this country, and I urge the UK Government to support this pioneering scheme.”
Carlton Power is taking forward the project with the support and involvement of a local consortium, comprising Manchester Metropolitan University, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Trafford Council, Cadent Gas and Electricity North West. The company is also examining other types of energy schemes to be situated within the ca. 12 hectare Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park.
Eric Adams, Hydrogen Projects Director at Carlton Power, added that Trafford Green Hydrogen is ideally situated to provide local industry and transport operators with low-carbon hydrogen fuel and will also stimulate investment in the region’s energy infrastructure and accelerate the region’s energy transition.
“The economic and environmental benefits are clear” said Mr Adams. “Working with our local partners, our focus now turns towards securing the UK Government’s support to this project and our proposed green hydrogen schemes at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and Langage in the South West of England.”
The proposed hydrogen hub facilities at Trafford Park, Barrow and Langage will produce and store hydrogen at scale and help integrate renewable energy on a regional scale through the storage of solar and wind energy. If built, Trafford Green Hydrogen will be located next to one of Europe’s largest energy storage facilities based on liquid air storage: the 250 MWh Carlton Highview Power project (announced in June 2020), and potentially other forms of low carbon energy infrastructure.
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