The North West Hydrogen Alliance has welcomed news that HyNet North West – a major project in the region to generate, store and distribute hydrogen – has been selected as a lead project for Government investment.

Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, today announced to parliament that HyNet North West will be one of two ‘Track One’ projects on the UK’s Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Cluster Sequencing Process.

It means the infrastructure in the North West will be progressed as one of two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, and four by 2030 at the latest, and be backed by a share of the £1 billion Infrastructure Fund to support industry deploying CCUS at pace.

The move is a key one that will support the rollout of hydrogen as a clean fuel for transport and for use by businesses across the North West.

 Professor Joe Howe, Chair of North West Hydrogen Alliance, said:

“It’s incredible news that HyNet in the North West of England has been confirmed as a track one carbon capture cluster by the Government. The region not only has one of the lowest cost and deliverable carbon capture solutions, but has made significant progress in developing plans for a full hydrogen system to generate, store and distribute hydrogen to our job-creating companies in our industrial heartland.

“The Government’s decision will drive essential investment to deliver carbon capture facilities in the region – a key component of unleashing the hydrogen economy in the region and the UK.  It is just the moment we have all been waiting for and, crucially, will keep up the pace to bring the first stages of the HyNet project to fruition by the mid-2020s.

“With COP26 on the horizon and the spotlight on practical steps to reach net zero carbon emissions, this is excellent progress. It will provide long-term confidence to big employers in the region and investors that, as well as the North West being a leading force in the Green Industrial Revolution, hydrogen as a clean source of power and fuel can and will be delivered at a mass scale sooner rather than later.”