BP announced an important new project that will generate large amounts of "blue" hydrogen from natural gas, which may support an industrial cluster in Teesside. Blue hydrogen involves the decomposition of methane (CH4) into its constituents, the collection of hydrogen for energy use, and the capture and storage of carbon dioxide produced during the process.

BP said the H2Teesside facility will use the existing North Sea natural gas infrastructure to produce about 1 GW of blue hydrogen by 2030, and capture and store up to 2 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. The British government has set an overall goal: By 2020, Britain's hydrogen production will reach 5GW.

BP Executive Vice President Dev Sanyal said: "Clean hydrogen is an important supplement to electrification on the road to zero net worth. The combination of blue hydrogen and carbon capture and storage can provide the scale and reliability required for industrial processes. It can also play an important role in decarbonizing industries that are difficult to electrify and reducing the cost of energy transition."

Striving to achieve ambitious goals

BP claims that the project can help decarbonize industrial activities in the Teesside area, which is one of the most polluted areas in the UK. Teesside’s industrial emissions account for more than 5% of the UK’s industrial emissions.

“H2Teesside, together with NZT (Net Zero Teesside) and NEP (Northern Endurance Partnership), has the potential to transform the region into one of the UK’s first carbon-neutral industrial clusters, providing support for thousands of jobs, and supporting the United Kingdom’s ten Plan," Sanyal said.

BP said that H2Teesside will be developed in phases. By 2027, 500MW of blue hydrogen will be put into production, and the remaining capacity will be installed by 2030. The energy giant has begun research on the feasibility of a technology that can capture up to 98%. Carbon emissions in the process, and is expected to make a final investment decision (FID) for the project in early 2024. BP also signed a memorandum of understanding with Teesside chemical manufacturer Venator, Northern Gas Networks and Tees Valley Combined Authority to further explore the integration of clean hydrogen in industrial and domestic environments.

"With our expertise in the chemical and processing fields, Teesside has an enviable reputation worldwide as the first place to develop hydrogen as a fuel source. BP's announcement emphasizes this position." Mayor Teesside Ben Houchen said. See Road Network Engineering Column Editor/Ge Siyu