Humber H2ub® Case study
The Humber H2ub® project is a proposed large scale, low carbon hydrogen production facility at Uniper’s Killingholme site, being delivered by Uniper in partnership with Shell. The hydrogen produced could be used to decarbonise heavy industry, transport, heating and power throughout the Humber region. The project is expected to be operational later this decade.
Collaboration and the energy transition
Situated in the heart of the industrial Humber, Uniper’s Killingholme site has a key role to play in the decarbonisation and economic growth of the region, supporting customers in this industrial cluster to transition to a net zero future. This is why this site is also part of Uniper’s Energy Transformation Hubs.
Uniper has been advancing plans for the future development of the site, working with key local and national partners on initiatives that could help decarbonise the region, most notably the Humber H2ub® project. The production and supply of low carbon hydrogen is an emerging market and as such, collaboration between companies is important to develop and deliver projects. In April 2022, Uniper and Shell signed an agreement to progress plans to produce low carbon hydrogen at Killingholme.
This collaboration enables the two companies to share and combine experience and expertise as they continue to help accelerate the transition towards net zero emissions .
The potential for hydrogen
In April 2022, as part of the Energy Security Strategy, the UK Government doubled its low carbon hydrogen production target, increasing this from 5GW to 10GW by 2030. The planned development could contribute to this, with plans for low carbon hydrogen production capability with a capacity of up to 720 megawatts (MW). The hydrogen produced could be used to decarbonise heavy industry, transport, heating and power throughout the Humber region. The project will be focusing on potential industrial uses of the hydrogen but to give a sense of scale, production of 720MW would be enough low carbon hydrogen to heat over half a million homes a year.
In December 2022, the project took a significant step forward, with the award of contracts to three companies, to deliver the process design studies; to include design of the main hydrogen production technology and carbon capture plant for the proposed Humber H2ub® project. The next stage in the project will be the front end engineering and design (FEED) phase, ahead of a final investment decision, which is expected to be taken in the mid-2020s with potential operation later this decade.
Carbon capture: the final piece of the puzzle
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key part of the process to reduce carbon emissions in the production of blue hydrogen. It involves the removal and capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial and power plant emissions, transporting it away to be securely stored underground, often in aquifers or depleted oil and gas fields.
For the Humber H2ub®, the captured carbon would be fed through the proposed Zero Carbon Humber onshore pipeline, part of the wider East Coast Cluster, selected as one of two CCS clusters to receive initial government support under the government’s cluster sequencing process. The captured carbon will then be transported to permanent storage offshore in facilities in the UK’s North Sea.
The planned development at Killingholme could see the capture of approximately 1.6Mt of carbon per year, contributing to the UK Government’s target to capture 10Mt of carbon per year by 2030.
Supporting decarbonisation across the Humber
Uniper and Shell’s plans would also contribute to the Humber’s emergence as a leader in clean energy production; future proofing the industry and creating skilled jobs in the region. We anticipate that hydrogen production at Killingholme would create opportunities during the construction phase and once it becomes operational, create around 120 permanent jobs, as well as helping to safeguard jobs by supporting industrial decarbonisation.
Hydrogen will be at the forefront of helping the UK deliver its net zero ambitions by 2050 and Uniper, its partners and its Killingholme site can play a key role in making this happen.
For more information please visit: Project Humber H2ub | Uniper
