Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
Statkraft has revealed plans to build a green hydrogen production facility at a former Royal Naval armaments depot in Pembrokeshire.
The Trecwn Green Energy Hub would be constructed on the site of a disused rail transfer shed and would produce roughly three tonnes of green hydrogen per day, which could be used to fuel trains running on railway lines west of Swansea.
Statkraft said running hydrogen trains on these lines would deliver many of the benefits of electrification but with significantly lower capital costs and fewer requirements for new infrastructure.
The company said the facility could also provide fuel for Pembrokeshire County Council’s fleet of HGV lorries and buses, with the site producing enough green hydrogen to run around 170 buses.
The electrolysers producing the hydrogen will be partly powered by 30MW of co-located renewable generation from three wind turbines and a solar farm. As the facility would exceed the 10MW threshold for being considered a development of national significance, the planning application will be submitted to the Planning and Environmental Decision Wales (PEDW), with the final decision being made by Welsh ministers.
Statkraft said it has begun early site investigations and will shortly be submitting a scoping request to PEDW. It said the hub is the first of a series of such facilities planned by the company.
Matt Kelly, from Statkraft UK, said: “Trecwn Green Energy Hub presents an exciting opportunity to produce homegrown green energy for local use and has the potential to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of Trecwn Valley. We’re working closely with Pembrokeshire County Council, and despite being at an early stage of the project, we’re keen to hear what local people think.”
Councillor Paul Miller, deputy leader and cabinet member for place, the region and climate change at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “Today’s announcement in respect of the Trecwn Green Energy Hub is evidence of the building momentum behind the green energy market in Pembrokeshire.
“Growing and nurturing renewable technology and industry right across the county, including in our more rural communities, is vital to ensure we position Pembrokeshire and the South West region at the heart of Wales’s renewable energy push.”
Please login or Register to leave a comment.