Green hydrogen plant planned for Grangemouth refinery site at Ineos

Plans have been announced to “put Scotland at the forefront of the green revolution” with the development of a new green hydrogen plant at Grangemouth.

RWE, a German-headquartered energy firm, has drawn up proposals to build the plant on the site of the current Ineos petrol refinery, in a move that could accelerate the country’s shift to decarbonisation.

The company has secured a grid connection and is now shortlisting electrolyser suppliers, with an aim of making the plant operational by 2029.

With plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the site, the initial capacity is anticipated to be up to 200MWe – potentially producing up to 3.6 tonnes of hydrogen per hour – with ambitions for further expansion to 600Mwe in the future.

The next steps of the project will be a planning application, which will include local consultation on the project.

It is hoped the project will contribute to the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund – which was when ministers promised a £500m ten-year fund to help the north east and Moray switch away from oil and gas to renewables.

Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen RWE Generation, said the project puts Scotland “at the forefront of the green revolution”.

She said: “This is a significant step towards RWE’s ambitions for the production of green hydrogen in Scotland.

“As one of the world’s leading energy companies, RWE has significant experience in onshore and offshore wind, developing green hydrogen production plants and operating large scale gas plants.

“This project at Grangemouth aligns with the Scottish Government’s vision for a ‘Just Transition’, putting Scotland at the forefront of the green revolution while protecting jobs and decarbonising Grangemouth.”

Colin Pritchard, sustainability director at the INEOS Grangemouth site, said: “We are pleased to support RWE in their investment in green hydrogen at our site in Grangemouth.

“This perfectly augments our project to develop a low-carbon (blue) hydrogen production unit at Grangemouth, with the CO2 exported deep underground in the North Sea via the Acorn transport and storage system.

“Together these projects support delivery of our net zero roadmap and place Grangemouth at the heart of Scotland’s future hydrogen economy.”