The project, being developed by Thames Freeport and UK start-up Chinook Hydrogen, plans to build a 12-tonne-per-day hydrogen plant on a brownfield site on the bank of the Thames in Tilbury to provide refuelling and off-grid EV charging.
The developers are targeting 2028 for the first hydrogen production with hopes of supporting a national hydrogen refuelling network.
Parallel to the Tilbury plant, the partners are eyeing a five-tonne-per-day project in Doncaster to act as a regional fuelling node.
Using Chinook’s Rodecs technology to convert waste materials into hydrogen-rich syngas through high-temperature gasification and pyrolysis, the team says the projects will produce “carbon-negative hydrogen.”
The project aims to process residual waste materials, though detailed feedstock sourcing has not yet been confirmed.
It also remains unclear how CO₂ generated during the process will be managed. However, the partners claim it will meet the UK Low-Carbon Hydrogen Standard of 2.4kg CO2/kg H2.
According to Thames Freeport, the Tilbury project will be engineered with “minimal on-site hydrogen storage” to streamline planning and safety permitting.
“By converting non-recyclable waste into clean hydrogen, we tackle the twin challenges of waste and decarbonisation in one stroke,” said Chinook Chairman, Dr. Rifat Chalabi.
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