Press release: £20 million boost for business innovators powering the UK’s hydrogen economy

• Energy and Clean Growth Minister to visit start-up in Swindon to set out vision for future UK hydrogen economy
• clean and green innovation is at the heart of the modern Industrial Strategy, with over £2.5 billion of government investment from 2015 to 2021

Today (11 May) Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry delivered a £20 million boost to businesses embracing the potential for a future UK hydrogen economy. The announcement was made during a visit to Swindon’s innovative Hydrogen Hub and Recycling Technologies.

Hydrogen fuel is a safe and low-carbon alternative for energy in buildings, industry, and transport – but is currently very costly to produce and transport. Today’s funding aims to change this.

It is the latest clean technology to receive a government boost – all part of the Clean Growth Strategy – which is already powering wind turbines up and down the country – and has the potential to revolutionise the automotive industry through clean green fuel.

Speaking at the Swindon Hydrogen Hub, Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Claire Perry, will say:

Clean, green and safe, hydrogen has an exciting role to play powering the UK but needs to be cheaper and more widely available to live up to its potential. Today’s £20 million funding boost, part of our modern Industrial Strategy, will help to address these challenges so that we can sustain the exciting momentum building in our low carbon hydrogen economy, creating high-value jobs up and down the country.

Clean Growth is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy and creates huge opportunities for the UK, securing our place as global leaders in this field.

The minister will meet with Hydrogen Hub members to discuss the UK’s strength in hydrogen and fuel cell technology development, and the potential for the UK to be at the forefront of a new hydrogen economy, helping us to meet our climate change targets.

The £20 million Hydrogen Supply programme will look to significantly reduce the high cost of producing large volumes of low carbon hydrogen, so that the technology can become a competitive, clean energy supply of the future.

During her visit to Swindon, the minister will also meet CEO of Recycling Technologies, Adrian Griffiths, to see how government support through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has enabled this dynamic start-up to develop a system to recycle mixed plastics waste back into a valuable hydrocarbon.

Recycling Technologies are helping in the fight against marine plastic by providing a chemical recycling solution that allows a wide range of plastics to be recycled, which are not practicably recyclable with existing processes.
The Minister will also host an energy roundtable with key stakeholders from the region to find out more about the role of low carbon energy technologies in Swindon and Wiltshire’s local economy.

Notes to Editors

1. The programme aims to accelerate the development of a lower cost low carbon bulk hydrogen supply (with a focus on UK production). This will be achieved through 2 phases:

   (a) developing several hydrogen process engineering designs, alongside a supply / production plan, which details the development steps needed for each process

   (b) a development phase which will demonstrate key components or further develop the design of the new hydrogen production process.

2. More information about this and other energy innovation programmes.
3. The Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.
4. The support of BEIS has enabled Recycling Technologies to transform its novel technology, from original concept developed in Warwick University to a system that is commercially viable. BEIS has supported the company from its laboratory test rig to near-full scale demonstrator beta plant and has enabled the company to resource investigations into the suitability of Plaxx® for application in different markets and to refine the beta plant for commercial operations.