Planning for Onshore Green Hydrogen
The challenge is urgent; with a very limited amount of “low carbon” hydrogen produced today, UK government has set a target to install at least 10GW worth of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.3 At least half of this target will comprise what government refer to as “electrolytic” hydrogen, which is the process of using electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The electricity used to drive electrolysis can be produced from low carbon sources, including renewables and nuclear. Scottish Government have set their own target of 5GW installed renewable and low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030 and 25GW by 2045.
“Green” hydrogen is the production of hydrogen via electrolysis using renewable power sources only. In addition to the benefits of energy security, decarbonisation and creation of a growth economy, the production of green hydrogen can increase the utilisation of the UK’s present and planned renewable energy projects and make more efficient use of current and future energy infrastructure, while boosting the UK’s energy security. Timely deployment is critical if the UK is to capture this opportunity, however this urgency is not reflected in the planning regime which has been criticised for being slow, complex and difficult to navigate for developers seeking consent. Instead, changes to make the process simpler, faster and more predicable are required across the whole UK based upon clear guidance on how individual electrolytic projects are consented through the planning regime.
The aim of this report is therefore threefold: For developers: Provide a go-to guide for green hydrogen developers seeking to navigate the UK’s planning regime (sections 2 and 3). For planners: Highlight sticking points of the current regime and myth busting to help planners understand key planning issues for green hydrogen projects (sections 1 and 4). For government: Set out recommendations to government which make the process simpler and faster in line with targets
