Under the co-operation plan, an area in Easington, East Yorkshire, operated by Centrica, could be transformed into a low-carbon hydrogen production hub over the coming decade, supporting the Humber region’s decarbonisation ambitions.

The intended plans add to hopes of hydrogen playing a key role in the decarbonisation of the region under the Humber Cluster Plan, which hopes to aid the Humber in achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040, while building off Equinor’s 600MW Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) plans.

Read more: Hydrogen set to play a key role in Humber Cluster Plan

Read more: Plans submitted for 600MW hydrogen production facility in the UK

Centrica and Equinor expect that the conversion of the Easington Terminal could produce up to 1GW of low-carbon hydrogen, coupled with around 200MW of off-taker demand, contributing to the UK Government’s goals of establish 10GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Read more: UK Government unveils new energy security strategy doubling low-carbon hydrogen production to 10GW by 2030

According to the companies, up to one third of the UK’s total gas supply enters the country via Easington, much from Equinor’s Norwegian facilities, H2 View understands. Additionally, the site sits close to major windfarm developments, which the partners say offers huge potential for both green and blue hydrogen production.

Alongside hydrogen production, the Easington area is earmarked as one of the landing points for the East Coast Cluster’s carbon capture pipeline, which is planned to transport carbon dioxide for safe storage under the seabed.

“The Humber is in a unique position to lead the way on industrial decarbonisation, with Equinor’s Hydrogen to Humber (H2H) projects at the forefront of this transition,” said Grete Tveit, Senior Vice-President for Low Carbon Solutions at Equinor.

“Partnering with Centrica to potentially develop a new hydrogen hub at one of the UK’s most significant industrial sites could help to transform this region’s energy mix whilst preserving and creating jobs and skills,” Tveit added.

Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, commented, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Equinor to explore opportunities to deliver on our commitments to help the UK transition to net zero as hydrogen will play a key role in achieving this.

“This exciting project builds on the long-standing partnership between Centrica and Equinor and follows on from our recent agreement to secure additional gas for our UK customers. Like Equinor, Centrica are committed to investing in the Humber region, levelling up and decarbonising industry to create a world leading, green energy driven, economic hub.”