Green hydrogen project targeting transport to be built inside Royal Navy depot
Hydrogen fuel for buses, heavy goods vehicles, trains and industry across Wales is set to be developed in the site of a former Royal Navy Armaments Depot in Pembrokeshire.
Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, has announced Trecwn Green Energy Hub, its first UK-based green hydrogen project.
The hub is the first of several projects planned by Statkraft, which would create jobs while helping transport switch from using fossil fuels to clean alternatives.
The Pembrokeshire plant will be constructed on the site of a disused rail transfer shed, and would generate approximately three tonnes of green hydrogen a day.
This is enough to run a single bus for over 40,000 miles, or the equivalent of making 350 journeys from Fishguard to Cardiff, but without the harmful emissions produced by traditional diesel or petrol fuels.
It is intended that green hydrogen would also be used to power trains running on railway lines west of Swansea, and power Pembrokeshire Council’s fleet of HGV lorries and local buses, with the site able to produce enough green hydrogen to run around 170 buses every day, when operational.
As the proposed facility will generate more than 10MW of renewable electricity it is defined as a development of national significance by the Welsh government, which is aiming to produce of 70 per cent of electricity consumption in Wales through renewable sources by the end of the decade.
The UK is targeting 10GW of generation by the end of the decade.
A planning application will now be submitted with the final decision made by Welsh ministers.
Early site investigations have started and Statkraft will shortly be submitting a scoping request to ensure the environmental studies are carried out as the plans are developed.
Matt Kelly, from Statkraft UK, said: “Trecwn Green Energy Hub presents an exciting opportunity to produce homegrown green energy for local use and has the potential to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of Trecwn Valley. We’re working closely with Pembrokeshire County Council, and despite being at an early stage of the project, we’re keen to hear what local people think.