East Midlands | Hydrogen

England UK 

East Midlands Hydrogen is unique. Unlike other major hydrogen clusters which are coastal, this one is right in the heart of the country. It brings together an intensive cluster of hydrogen demand forecasts from around 70 industrial sites in the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and northern Leicestershire regions, who are asking for more than 10TWh of hydrogen by 2040 in total, to enable site decarbonisation. For these sites alone, access to low carbon hydrogen would enable carbon savings of 1.9 million tonnes per year, the equivalent of gas-related carbon emissions from 860,000 homes.

 
The East Midlands region is perfectly set up for large-scale low carbon hydrogen production through electrolysis. Previously known as ‘Megawatt Valley’, its high voltage electrical transmission power lines were originally constructed to enable power export from the string of coal-fired power stations built along the river Trent. Available water from the river, coupled with imported renewable energy could enable ‘Megawatt Valley’ to metamorphose into a hydrogen production heartland at GW scale, with multiple forecasts received for a total of 500MW production capacity across the region.

 
By connecting supply and demand through a new 100% hydrogen pipeline network, this region is poised to become the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster, bringing massive economic benefits to the region. A PwC report set for publication in October 2023 estimates that development of a full hydrogen supply chain in the East Midlands would contribute £10 billion GVA and 110,000 jobs created or retained by 2050.
 

Business Opportunities for the Hydrogen Economy