Serving the Teesside Business Community | 47
POWERHOUSE
The future – the
Tees Valley could
become a hydrogen
powerhouse.
EXCLUSIVE: By Dave Allan
Mayor Houchen on plans to make
region a hydrogen hub
T
he Tees Valley could become a hydrogen
powerhouse – a £40m driving force
behind hydrogen-powered cars, buses
and trains – says the region’s mayor, Ben
Houchen.
It’s a little-known fact that Tees Valley
produces more than half of the UK’s
hydrogen – a resource currently stored in
caverns before being transported to other
areas across the country.
Hydrogen is used by many largescale
industries in the production of petrol,
chemicals, food and electronics, but is now
making headlines for use in other areas.
Combined with renewable electricity, it can
be produced, stored and used to generate
heat and electricity without producing any
greenhouse gases or air pollutants.
Houchen exclusively told Tees Business:
“In our ambitions to put the power into the
Northern Powerhouse and double down on
our energy credentials, we need to examine
all of the opportunities that are close to home
– and our hydrogen production uniquely
places us to capitalise on all this innovative
sector offers.
“Make no mistake, with the government’s
plans to generate 85% of the UK’s energy
from low-carbon sources by 2032 and phase
out sales of petrol and diesel cars and vans
by 2040, there is plenty for us to get our
teeth into.
“And hydrogen has the potential to be a
Big plans – Tees mayor
Ben Houchen has
exclusively outlined
hydrogen plans to
Tees Business.
completely clean, inexhaustible fuel.”
£220,000 has recently been set aside to
kick-start the region’s ambitions to become
a UK-leading hydrogen powerhouse, which
Houchen says is designed to “steal the
march on other areas”.
A bid is being drawn up to be submitted
to the government’s Office for Low
Emission Vehicles to bring a new refuelling
infrastructure to the region that could power
a new generation of hydrogen road vehicles.
If successful, the bid could unlock £40m
in investment to develop new refuelling
stations across the Tees Valley, allowing cars,
buses and bin lorries to be powered by the
super fuel.
And a partnership with Northern Rail
is being developed to pilot the UK’s first
hydrogen trains, with the project looking to
convert ten to run across Tees Valley using
the fuel