Major plans to bring hydrogen plant to South Holland
Lorries could soon be powered by hydrogen produced at a plant in this area, if plans come to fruition.
South Holland District Council says it has been working with a private investor who is looking to develop hydrogen and power distribution.
Deputy council leader and portfolio holder for economy Coun Nick Worth is hopeful that a planning application will be submitted soon for this new technology.
Hydrogen is seen as a more environmentally friendly alternative to diesel engines as it emits no carbon dioxide.
This is one of a series of significant economic developments which leaders say are helping South Holland to ‘buck the trend’ (see page nine for more on this).
Coun Worth said: “We are hoping we are going to get a planning application relatively quickly, dependent on getting the right area of land. New technology is being used in parts of Europe and it is essential that we are looking at how we can use waste from farming and from the waste we produce as a council.
“It produces hydrogen at the end of it and if can we use that to fuel for lorries.
“With the HGVs that go in and out of Spalding every day if we can get a huge amount supplied by local hydrogen then our carbon footprint can be massively improved.”
More than 1,000 lorries are reported to be passing through South Holland every day. According to the district council’s climate change strategy, South Holland produces a total of 603.1kt of carbon dioxide with 190.7kt produced by transport.
A report to the council’s performance monitoring panel states that, if delivered, the project will support the logistics sector along with a wider range of businesses.
Coun Worth, who speculated on whether the hydrogen could be used for tractors, said: “It is a massive opportunity and personally I think in the long term we will get more opportunites with hydrogen than electricity.
“I think hydrogen is a better solution going forward.
“It is a really exciting project and getting the backing of a lot of local people.”
