Scotland outlines hydrogen power plans
16 December 2022
The Scottish Government’s newly published Hydrogen Action Plan sets out steps to help the country’s emerging hydrogen sector achieve an ambition of producing five gigawatts (GW) of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen – equivalent to a sixth of Scotland’s energy needs – by 2030.
It also reaffirms the aim to produce 25 GW by 2045, with a hydrogen economy potentially supporting more than 300,000 jobs. The government also believes Scotland could become a leading exporter of hydrogen, contributing between £5 billion and £25 billion a year by 2045.
The Scottish Government is making available £100 million to support the Action Plan, including a £90 million Green Hydrogen Fund, which will open early next year.
Net Zero & Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Hydrogen could present Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunity since oil and gas was discovered in the North Sea.
“The technology has tremendous potential to help deliver a just transition for our energy sector, realising huge economic benefits while supporting our net zero transformation.
“Scotland has vast natural resources with which we can become world leaders in renewable hydrogen production and export, while others are looking beyond their borders to nations that can produce and provide that hydrogen at scale.”
Writing in the Plan, Michael Matheson states that “Electrification will do the heavy lifting in our march towards net zero, but there are parts of our economy and energy system that are very difficult to electrify, and hydrogen could provide a solution for sectors such as heavy-duty on and off-road transport, shipping, aviation and industrial high temperature heat.
“Innovative and smart climate action will also include the use of hydrogen in the production of synthetic fuels and in energy storage solutions to help increase flexibility and balance the grid and there is some scope for hydrogen to support parts of our domestic heating systems.
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