BEIS awards £18M to new technologies that could switch industrial processes away from high-carbon energy

BEIS has awarded over £18 million in funding for technologies that could help energy intensive industries use new, low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuel.

The awards are to:

  • HyNet North West, led by Progressive Energy, which has been awarded £5.24 million to demonstrate the feasibility of switching key industrial processes from natural gas to clean hydrogen as part of the HyNet project. Practical demonstration and experimental development of direct-firing, boiler, and refinery technologies will be delivered at NSG Pilkington’s Greengate Works, Unilever’s Port Sunlight plant, and Essar Oil’s Stanlow Refinery. The award comes as the HyNet project has won further funding to demonstrate bulk hydrogen production processes (see here).
  • Mineral Productions Association has won £3.2 million to investigate the potential for zero-carbon fuel sources such as biomass, hydrogen and electricity in cement production. Physical trials will be run at two cement manufacturing sites. 
  • Glass Futures has won £7.12 million to  evaluate the technical, economic and environmental aspects of electric, hydrogen, bio-fuel and hybrid-fuel melting The project includes a biodiesel trial on a full-scale commercial line and a large-lab-scale hydrogen demonstration. 
  • British Lime Association has won £2.82 million to use hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas for high calcium lime manufacturing, for diverse markets including iron and steel manufacturing. 

 Further reading

A handful of green hydrogen options share £28 million in BEIS funding to kick-start bulk production

Vitol appoints director for CHP project in step towards Humber Zero

CCC tender: what are the pathways for deep industrial decarbonisation?

Climate change minister promises action on hydrogen ‘this year’

ITM Power, Ørsted and Element Energy win BEIS grant aimed at cutting the cost of ‘green’ hydrogen

Eurelectric calls for European leadership on ‘power to gas’ options