A consortium, including energy company Uniper, Siemens Energy, trading firm Toyota Tsusho and Associated British Ports, has submitted a joint bid into the UK Clean Maritime Fund for matched funding to develop their vision for a low carbon hydrogen supply to the Port of Immingham.
A joint study completed by the four companies shows that the availability of low carbon fuels in ports, such as green hydrogen, can provide a viable opportunity to decarbonize ‘hard to reach sectors’, such as maritime and cargo handling.
With the funding, companies seek to undertake a full feasibility study for a project aiming at green hydrogen production by electrolysis, using a renewable energy supply such as offshore wind. The hydrogen could then be used as a direct replacement to diesel and heavy fuel oil, or for the production of clean shipping fuels.
This first of its kind concept has the potential to become a decarbonisation solution not just for the Port of Immingham, but for other ports, and the maritime sector as a whole,
…stated Mike Lockett, Uniper UK Country Chairman and Group Chief Commercial Officer Power.
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The move comes as ABP’s Port of Immingham, located within the Humber industrial cluster, is considered ideally placed to take advantage of the existing infrastructure in the region. The study would review the technical and economic feasibility of reducing port greenhouse gas emissions with hydrogen, and develop a clear plan for future development. A successful funding bid could allow this work to begin as early as September 2021.
The project could lead to an initial c.20MW supply of green hydrogen to the Port of Immingham by 2025, which could ultimately be the first step in the uptake of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels across the whole maritime sector.
This exciting project offers the Port of Immingham the opportunity to create a model for ports across the UK- and the world – to replicate, making the most of the decarbonisation potential of hydrogen,
…said Henrik Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer, Associated British Ports.
Port of Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage, handling over 54Mt of cargo annually.
