Uniper’s Connah Quay power station is ideally placed for the blue hydrogen project since gas is supplied to it by the national grid and it is also located near Eni’s existing pipeline infrastructure, which the company is planning to repurpose for CCS
Eni’s bio-refinery in Venice, Italy; the world’s first such facility. Credit: Eni website
Italian energy giant Eni has signed a memorandum of understanding with German company Uniper to explore hydrogen production and decarbonisation initiatives in North Wales, UK. Eni and Uniper are already working together in the area: Uniper’s Connah’s Quay power station in Flintshire is powered by gas from Eni’s plant in Liverpool Bay. Uniper has indicated future explorations into the production of blue and green hydrogen at Connah’s Quay. When producing blue hydrogen, Uniper will investigate options to capture the carbon generated for permanent storage.
Uniper UK country chairman Mike Lockett said: “Uniper’s Connah’s Quay power station is ideally placed to be part of the decarbonisation story for North Wales and the North West of England, as we look to grow our hydrogen capability in the UK. We look forward to working together with Eni UK to explore future hydrogen production and CCS opportunities at the site.”
Connah’s Quay already receives gas from UK’s national transmission system and is also located close to Eni’s existing network of pipelines. This infrastructure can be used to transport and store carbon emissions in Liverpool Bay. The collaboration serves Eni as well, which has been working towards repurposing its pipeline network to boost its carbon capture and storage business. The energy giant is spearheading sustainable energy processes as part of its HyNet North West hydrogen and CCS scheme in the UK.
Eni’s head of North Europe Region Management, Phillip Hemmens, said: “This is an exciting time to invest in decarbonisation technologies to make the UK a global leader in the green industrial revolution. We hope this commitment for future cooperation between Eni UK and Uniper will further complement our ongoing work with the wider HyNet North West project, placing the North-West of England and North Wales at the forefront of the UK’s journey to Net Zero and helping to decarbonise many sectors of the economy from 2025 onwards.”
The HyNet initiative has been started to accelerate the production of blue hydrogen in association with carbon capture and storage. The initiative focuses on industries that typically consume and generate large amounts of carbon. The HyNet initiative has been started by industries based in Northwest UK and North Wales.
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