The plans are part of a wider effort, solidified by the duo with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing, that hopes to accelerate the production of green hydrogen across the UK to support hydrogen vehicles.

Kent’s Herne Bay is the first location of interest here due to its existing offshore wind farms that can be utilised to produce between eight and nine tonnes of green hydrogen daily by the middle of 2023.

Craig Shanaghey, President of Operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa at Wood, said, “At Wood, we are committed to working with our clients to tackle global energy challenges and we know that producing hydrogen – economically and at pace – will be critical as we transition to a more integrated, lower carbon energy mix.

“With our hydrogen project track record and expertise across the full lifecycle, we are delighted to be working with HYGEN Energy and look forward to developing and delivering the impactful solutions which will play a key role in contributing to the UK government’s hydrogen strategy and ambitious net-zero carbon emissions targets.”

The MoU will see Wood utilise its decades of hydrogen experience along with its consulting, projects and operations expertise to develop solutions for future hydrogen production plants.

It is hoped the move will mark a tangible step towards delivering the UK Government’s strategy to achieve 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Jo Bamford, founder and Executive Chairman of HYGEN Energy, said, “We’re proud to be working alongside a company with as much expertise and hydrogen knowledge as Wood. They share our belief that the acceleration of green hydrogen production is vital if we are to drive the hydrogen economy forwards in the UK.

“At HYGEN Energy, we have ambitious plans to build a network of green hydrogen production plants across the UK to provide zero-emission fuel for a number of uses, create strong jobs, and to help position the UK as a world-leader in the hydrogen sector. With partners on board such as Wood, we’re confident that we will realise those ambitions.”