The UK government has announced its plans to create a low carbon hydrogen sector in the UK. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today unveiled the UK’s first-ever Hydrogen Strategy, which details how the government will work with industry to meet its 2030 climate goals.
“Today marks the start of the UK’s hydrogen revolution. This home-grown clean energy source has the potential to transform the way we power our lives and will be essential to tackling climate change and reaching Net Zero,” said Kwarteng.
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“With the potential to provide a third of the UK’s energy in the future, our strategy positions the UK as first in the global race to ramp up hydrogen technology and seize the thousands of jobs and private investment that come with it.”
The UK’s independent Climate Change Committee has suggested that switching more energy consumption to hydrogen will be critical for meeting the UK’s target of net zero emissions by 2050. The government estimates that a hydrogen economy could be worth £900 million and create over 9,000 high-quality jobs by 2030, with the potential to rise even higher before 2050. Hydrogen could play an important role in energy-intensive industries like chemicals, oil refineries, power as well as helping the shipping and transport sectors move away from fossil fuels. Earlier this year, the government pledged £30m in funding for hydrogen and EV technologies.
Other measures included in the plan include a ‘twin track’ plan to support multiple technologies, a review into hydrogen infrastructure, industry consultation to develop standards around hydrogen use and the launch of a hydrogen sector development action plan in early 2022. The plan will set out how the government will support companies to secure supply chain opportunities, skills and jobs in hydrogen.
The government is also looking to conduct hydrogen heating trials, which will inform the government’s decision in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heat. If the trials prove successful, hydrogen could play a role in decarbonising heating in the UK as well.
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By GlobalDataThe Hydrogen Strategy is one of many that the government is releasing ahead of the UN Climate Summit COP26 taking place in Glasgow this November. Other strategies published include the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, Transport Decarbonisation Strategy and North Sea Transition Deal, while its Heat and Buildings and Net Zero Strategies will be published this year.
