British hydrogen firm GeoPura has been announced as the supplier of one of the largest volumes of green hydrogen for National Highways’ Lower Thames Crossing project.
The scheme will be the first major British infrastructure project to be carbon neutral in construction. A key part of this ambition is replacing diesel with hydrogen, electric and other low-carbon fuels.
GeoPura will supply 2,500 tonnes of hydrogen to the Lower Thames Crossing, enough to replace over 12 million litres of diesel and save an estimated 30,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The hydrogen will be supplied as a managed service, which includes the delivery, storage and distribution to equipment on site during the main construction phase of the project.
Six hydrogen powered generators provided by GeoPura are already at work on the project, charging batteries used in electric machinery on a work site in Essex with zero emissions. In addition, a British-made JCB hydrogen fuelled digger became the first one deployed outside a test environment, when it was used to carry out survey work on the project in Kent last year.
The scale of the project’s purchase will accelerate the construction industry’s progress toward net zero by requiring its Delivery Partners and their supply chain – who are three of the biggest construction firms in Europe – to invest in hydrogen-powered machinery, and develop the skills needed to operate and maintain them, the firm claimed.
Hydrogen only emits water when used in a fuel cell, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting air quality for both the workforce and local communities, the firm said.
Founded in 2019, GeoPura produces green hydrogen across several locations in the UK via electrolysis powered by locally sourced renewable electricity. This includes at its flagship HyMarnham Power facility in Nottinghamshire.
Minister for Industry, Chris McDonald, said:
“GeoPura and the Lower Thames Crossing collaboration is proof that clean energy goes hand-in-hand with major British infrastructure projects.“Hydrogen has a key role to play in our industrial strategy, and from Nottinghamshire to Kent, our first flagship hydrogen projects will sustainably power projects up and down the country.”
Matt Palmer, Executive Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, said:
“Today we’ve given the green light to green hydrogen. By replacing diesel with home grown hydrogen, we’re not only reducing our own carbon footprint but also helping clean up the construction sector. National Highways is supporting new jobs and skills that will put British businesses and people at the forefront of the growing clean energy sector.”
Andrew Cunningham, CEO, GeoPura, said:
“We’re extremely proud to be supplying the largest volume of green hydrogen ever contracted for a British construction project and I congratulate the Lower Thames Crossing for setting a powerful example of how major infrastructure can be delivered sustainably.
“This contract award further strengthens the British hydrogen supply chain driving both price efficiency and British jobs across this new, exciting industry with tangible deployments.”
Image courtesy of GeoPura
