Equinor to lead H2H Saltend hydrogen project

The Hydrogen to Humber Saltend (H2H Saltend) project is being developed at Saltend Chemicals Park near Hull and its initial phase will comprise a 600MW auto thermal reformer (ATR) with carbon capture to convert natural gas to hydrogen. Norway’s Equinor said this will be the largest plant of its kind in the world.

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When operational, it will enable industrial customers in the Park to fully switch to hydrogen, and the power plant in the Park to move to a 30 per cent hydrogen to natural gas blend. Consequently, emissions from Saltend Chemicals Park are predicted to reduce by nearly 900,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

In its later phases, H2H Saltend can expand to serve other industrial users in the Park and across the Humber, contributing to the cluster reaching ‘net zero’ by 2040. According to Equinor, this will enable a large-scale hydrogen network, open to blue hydrogen (produced from natural gas with CCS) and green hydrogen (produced from electrolysis of water using renewable power), plus a network for transporting and storing captured CO₂ emissions. It is estimated that fuel switching to hydrogen could create 43,000 new job opportunities in energy-intensive industrial sectors across the UK.