UK energy security and net zero minister Graham Stuart has said said Scotland will be “at the heart” of UK Government plans to power up Britain, when plans to boost UK energy independence were announced on Thursday.
The UK government on Thursday launched Track-2 of the capture usage and storage (CCUS) cluster sequencing process to identify the next two CCUS clusters that will contribute to its ambition to capture 20-30 megatonnes of CO2 per year across the economy by 2030 and said new jobs and investment will come to Scotland as part of a strategy to scale up affordable, clean, homegrown power and build green industries in Britain.
This new announcement comes after £20 billion for CCUS was announced in the spring budget.
The UK Government has set an ambition for 10GW of hydrogen production by 2030 and said Scotland will be central to those plans.
In the announcement made on Thursday, four of the first 15 projects to be given a share of the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) to develop new low carbon hydrogen production plants are in Scotland.
“Scotland will be at the heart of our plans to power up Britain as we support its development of new homegrown technologies of the future.
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“Today’s announcement will create opportunities for Scottish businesses to export their expertise around the world and set the standard for a clean, secure and prosperous future,” UK energy security and net zero minister Graham Stuart said.
Scotland’s winning NZHF projects are Statera, based in Kintore, which plans to develop a 3GW, grid-connected, electrolytic hydrogen project that aims to use excess wind power in Scotland to produce low-carbon, green hydrogen and supply it to the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial clusters through existing gas transmission pipelines.
Another is Falck Renewables, which plans to develop its Knockshinnoch Green Hydrogen Hub Project, and Getech, which aims to build a major green hydrogen hub in Inverness that will produce, store and dispense green hydrogen – upwards of 10 tonnes a day over time.
Meanwhile, Octopus Energy’s Lanarkshire Green Hydrogen project plans to deploy 15MW of electrolysis directly connected to an onshore wind farm to produce more than 3.5 tonnes per day of green hydrogen while Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has also launched a £160 million fund for projects to build the port infrastructure needed to support further floating offshore wind power.
Scotland Office minister John Lamont said Scotland’s green energy potential is “at the heart” of the UK Government’s plans to deliver energy security, drive investment and grow the economy by developing clean domestic power sources.
Story was adapted from the Independent.
