More Government action needed on hydrogen storage in the UK says NWHA

The report finds that support mechanisms to support hydrogen production are progressing well towards implementation, but the NWHA believes that the government’s intention to design new business models for storage infrastructure by 2025 is not ambitious enough. The industry group is calling for this target to be brought forward to at least 2023.

The call follows the publication of the Hydrogen Sector Development Action Plan last month. The NWHA believes that the 2025 target risks deterring timely investment in clean energy storage, which is vital for the UK to take control of its clean energy security.

The report outlines why large scale storage is essential for hydrogen to deliver its vital role in decarbonising the UK:

• Providing national energy security and resilience
• To balance our clean energy system, storing hydrogen when renewable electricity generation is high and releasing it when it’s low
• To minimise system costs by maximising the utilisation of carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) enabled hydrogen production facilities, enabling them to operate at a consistent high load factor all year round
• To balance the energy supply to meet the variable demands of commercial, power generation and domestic heating on a daily and seasonal basis
• To balance energy supply to meet the variable demands for electricity providing a fast dispatchable source of power
• To enable hydrogen blending into the gas distribution network