£3 million for UK’s first hydrogen transport hub

The government has unveiled its official ‘masterplan’ and intention to spend £3 million to progress the UK’s first-ever hydrogen transport hub.

The transport hub – being built in Tees Valley – will bring together government, industry and academia to focus research, testing and trials across all transport modes. The hub could be fully operational by 2025.

By creating real-world hydrogen transport pilots, the establishment of the hub will also help us to understand the role hydrogen has in meeting the UK's 2050 net-zero ambitions, which will inform our future investment decisions and prime export opportunities.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "By harnessing the power of hydrogen technology, we have the opportunity to bring long-term prosperity right across the country.

"The hub will establish the UK as a global leader in hydrogen technology, paving the way for its use across all transport modes and propelling us towards our net-zero goals."

Pop-up trials could see shops, supermarkets, online retailers, warehouse operators and delivery companies using hydrogen-powered transport to move goods and carry out last-mile deliveries.

It could also see local transport operators working with the transport research and development (R&D) sector to deliver emission-free hydrogen passenger services, such as on-demand regional buses or zero-emission refuse vehicles.

The Department for Transport’s masterplan sets out a vision for the hub and a blueprint of the infrastructure required to deliver that vision. The facilities within the hub also include an R&D campus for the creation and sharing of knowledge. This will enable the hydrogen transport hub to act as a living lab to understand the role of hydrogen as part of the energy transition in the transport sector.