WARRINGTON’S Novelis is one of 24 major employers in the North West to agree to work with the HyNet low carbon clusters.
They include industries from the food, ceramics, paper, glass and automotive sectors.
Novelis’ plant at Latchford Lockw was built in 1991 and claims to be one of the largest recyclers of aluminium cans in Europe, having the capacity to process every aluminium beverage can sold in the UK – equivalent to about 117,000 tonnes a year.
HyNet decarbonisation cluster spans the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Combined Authority areas, along with Warrington, Cheshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.
It will supply low carbon hydrogen to fuel businesses and heat homes across the region – enabling a switch away from fossil fuels starting in 2025.
The organisations see switching to low carbon hydrogen as a critical opportunity both to rapidly cut carbon dioxide emissions, helping the UK’s journey to Net Zero, and to manufacture low carbon products, driving value for the business and its customers.
Each company has signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) with the intent of receiving a future network connection and supply of hydrogen from the HyNet project.
David Parkin, Project Director of HyNet said: “We are proud to be helping such a diverse range of businesses cut emissions. The interest in HyNet from industry shows how much this project is needed. HyNet aims to begin producing hydrogen from the mid 2020’s, giving these businesses a route to decarbonise quickly.”
HyNet is ideally located close to both the existing infrastructure and the natural assets required to produce and store hydrogen. The North West is the region which has the UK’s largest number of people employed in the manufacturing sector, and has the skills base and determination to put the UK at the heart of the hydrogen economy.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “HyNet presents North West England and North Wales with a fantastic opportunity. There is a high demand for low carbon hydrogen from businesses across the region. We have big ambitions to hit net zero from 2038. To do this we need the Government to support HyNet, levelling up from North to South, East to West.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region added: “I’m determined to put the Liverpool City Region at the heart of the green industrial revolution. With our existing strengths in green energy, we have the opportunity to become the UK’s renewable energy coast, and HyNet, has the potential to reduce emissions across the North West by 25 per cent, will have a big part to play in that.
“And our region is central to the HyNet project. From recent trials in St Helens to upcoming ones on the Wirral, we’re doing our bit to pioneer new, industry-altering technology that will massively green our region, and set the standard for others to follow.”
HyNet has recently run a ‘global first’ trial using hydrogen to produce sheet (‘float’) glass using hydrogen at Pilkington Glass in St Helens. The team will shortly run a similar trial at Unilever’s Port Sunlight manufacturing facility. These will provide confidence that these companies and others can
safely switch to HyNet low carbon hydrogen as soon as it is available.
