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Kimberly-Clark, the manufacturer of households brands such as Andrex, Kleenex and Huggies, has signed an agreement with Carlton Power to supply green hydrogen to its production facility at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
The hydrogen will be produced by a 35MW electrolyser that Carlton Power is planning to build nearby as part of its Barrow Green Hydrogen scheme, which it announced last month.
Carlton Power is leading the £40 million project in partnership with a public and private sector consortium comprising Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Barrow Borough Council, Cadent Gas and Electricity North-West.
The electrolyser will produce around 3,500 tonnes of green hydrogen each year for local energy intensive industries or transport fleets using electricity generated from renewables, primarily wind and solar power.
Subject to planning and financing, Carlton Power is aiming to begin commercial operation of the facility in 2025. The company said its progression is contingent on the scheme securing financial support from the government. It will work with Kimberly-Clark to submit a grant application within the next three months.
The hydrogen will be used to displace the use of natural gas within Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing processes. The firm recently announced plans to decarbonise around 80% of its electricity supply through a power purchase agreement that will lead to the construction of a new onshore wind farm in Scotland scheduled to begin operating in early 2023.
Eric Adams, hydrogen projects director at Carlton Power said: “The development of green hydrogen projects like our Barrow hub is critical if major energy users, like Kimberly-Clark, are to decarbonise their operations.
He continued: “It’s a catalyst to establish a hydrogen economy and drive the decarbonisation of local industry. We look forward to working with Kimberly-Clark and seeing Barrow Green Hydrogen as among the UK’s very first hydrogen hubs to enter operation.”
Oriol Margo, sustainability transformation leader for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Kimberly-Clark said, “We understand the importance for us to lead in the development and deployment of effective decarbonisation strategies as our sector is energy intensive.
“This project will reduce the reliance on natural gas, across our UK manufacturing facilities, by up to 30%. It is an exciting opportunity and demonstrates how cooperation among a wide set of stakeholders from business and government is critical to making green hydrogen commercially viable.”
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