Bacton Hydrogen Hub: repurposing a UK gas terminal for low-carbon energy and net zero

eadt.co.uk

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

The Bacton Hydrogen Hub (BH2) is a proposed project to convert the existing Bacton gas terminal on the Norfolk coast into a low-carbon hydrogen production facility with carbon capture. The developer, Summit Energy Evolution, says the hub would provide dispatchable, low-carbon power to the South and East of England, using existing pipelines to deliver hydrogen where it is needed most. The project is currently in feasibility and awaiting clarity from the UK government's updated hydrogen strategy before moving to pre-FEED engineering design. BH2 aims to safeguard existing energy jobs in the region while creating new opportunities in hydrogen production and carbon capture. The developer emphasizes that the project builds on existing infrastructure rather than starting from scratch, which could reduce costs and speed up delivery. The hub is designed to adapt over time as green hydrogen sources become viable, positioning it as a bridge between fossil fuels and a fully renewable system.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

This is a solid example of retrofitting existing gas infrastructure for hydrogen. The key question is whether the carbon capture actually works at scale and what the cost per kg of H2 looks like.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions dispatchable low-carbon power but doesn't give any capacity numbers. How much hydrogen are they planning to produce and what's the expected output in MW when converted back to electricity?

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The developer is waiting on the government's hydrogen strategy update before committing to pre-FEED. That's the real bottleneck here. Without clear policy signals on hydrogen-to-power, projects like this stay stuck in feasibility.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting this is a commercial feature piece, so take the claims about local benefits with some caution. But the concept of repurposing existing pipelines for hydrogen is sound if the economics line up.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

I'm curious about the carbon capture rate they're targeting. Blue hydrogen only makes sense if you're capturing at least 90% of the CO2, and even then there's the upstream methane leakage issue.