Scotland Unveils Its First Hydrogen Export Plan

(edie) The Scottish Government has published the nation’s first hydrogen export plan, setting out plans to develop regional hydrogen ‘hubs’ which co-locate production, storage and transportation infrastructure.

Scotland will strive to be a “key producer and exporter of renewable hydrogen by 2030”, the plan states. A key export market will be Germany.

Ministers believe that Scotland could produce up to 3.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen, produced by electrolyzing water in processes served by renewable electricity, by 2045. But for this supply to scale, the industry needs greater assurances about future demand – both domestically and internationally.

The plan stipulates that Ministers will start comprehensively assessing the market demand for hydrogen products, bearing in mind differing certification requirements and emissions standards.

It notes that there is a risk that the UK’s low-carbon hydrogen standards may diverge from the EU’s, which could hamper export opportunities. Scottish Ministers will, therefore, collaborate with UK Government Ministers to promote aligning standards.

Other key collaborators for Scotland will include Ireland. With the pair of nations already hosting a gas interconnection, there are significant opportunities for hydrogen export pipeline routes.

Scotland is notably supporting a new Hydrogen Backbone Link project in the North Sea, which would enable the delivery of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of hydrogen by the mid-2030s, meeting up to 10% of the EU’s projected hydrogen import demand.

This should be served, the plan stipulates, by a number of regional and international ‘hubs’ which strategically co-locate key infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage and transportation.

“Hydrogen is one of Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunities since oil and gas was discovered and we have the environment, skills, knowledge, and experience to become a driving force behind the growth of the hydrogen sector in Europe and beyond,” said Scotland’s acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin.

“This plan focusses on the significant international trade opportunities presented by hydrogen and sets out the key steps required to secure and maximise the economic benefits.

“It provides the government, industry and investors with clarity in the direction we must all move in, with pace, if Scotland is to build a sustainable and successful hydrogen economy – whilst helping to deliver a just transition for our energy sector.”

Delivering a just transition for these communities will require concerted efforts to upskill and reskill workers for roles in industries such as hydrogen, carbon capture and renewables.

To that end, Scotland’s leading provider of specialist equipment and skilled workers for offshore wind farm projects, Sarens PSG, has today (2 December) announced a £1.6m investment to create a new centre of excellence in Aberdeen.

Sarens PSG’s managing director Steve Clark said the firm took the decision after the UK Government chose Aberdeen as the base for Great British Energy – a new publicly-owned energy investment body for renewables and nuclear.

Clark explained: “”The offshore wind sector is a critical part of achieving our net-zero targets, but we’ve notbeen moving fast enough.

“With the support of Great British Energy and other key players, we now have the opportunity to turbocharge the delivery of these projects and ensure Scotland remains at the forefront of renewable energy development.”

The centre will be based in the Altens Industrial Estate and is expected to begin operations next year. It will support the maintenance and repair of the company’s specialist fleet, providing inhouse servicing.

Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, said: “We want the full benefits from our energy sector to be felt by people and communities in Scotland and I am delighted to welcome 25 new jobs to the north east.” READ MORE