CARLTON POWER SECURES GOVERNMENT BACKING TO DEVELOP CUMBRIA’S FIRST GREEN HYDROGEN PROJECT

Carlton Power, one of the UK’s most experienced energy infrastructure development companies, has secured the UK Government’s support to build a green hydrogen hub in Barrow-on-Furness.  The Barrow Green Hydrogen hub, the first of its kind in Cumbria, will supply hydrogen to Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing facility at Barrow-in-Furness.  It is the only project in Cumbria that is backed by the Government and announced today.

Over the past 12 months, Carlton Power and Kimberly-Clark, the international manufacturer of consumer products including Andrex®, Kleenex® and Huggies®, have been working together to bring forward the scheme.

Subject to final agreements with Carlton Power, the Government will provide financial support to the project through its Hydrogen Business Model process, which aims to stimulate the growth of the hydrogen economy in Cumbria and across the UK.  The hub, located on land adjacent to Kimberly-Clark’s facility on Park Road (A590), is targeted to enter operation in 2025 and will help reduce Kimberly-Clark’s reliance on natural gas as part of its global decarbonisation strategy. 

The Barrow Green Hydrogen scheme was announced last year (2022) and has benefited from the support given by a regional public/private sector consortium comprising Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Barrow Borough Council, Cadent Gas and Electricity North-West, as well as the support of Simon Fell MP and other Cumbrian MPs.

Barrow Green Hydrogen will provide Kimberly-Clark and potentially other energy-intensive users in the area (for example, those with transport fleets), with hydrogen to fuel their operations. This project will initially feature a 30 MW (megawatt) electrolyser, expected to produce approximately 3000 tonnes of hydrogen every year, which is enough zero-carbon energy to supply the equivalent of 10,000 homes.

Eric Adams, Carlton Power’s Hydrogen Projects Director said: “We are delighted by this news.  Having the support and commitment of Kimberly-Clark was crucial to our success and we look forward to working with their team to build and operate the scheme.  We are also hugely grateful for the support given to the project by Simon Fell MP, neighbouring MPs and local business organisations.”

“Everyone could see that Barrow Green Hydrogen would be a catalyst for inward investment and the development of the hydrogen economy in Cumbria. Today’s decision will encourage industry and transport operators in the area to embrace the energy transition and Net Zero with confidence. We aim to have the scheme enter commercial operation in 2025, employing around 200 people during its construction, and around 10 people full-time once in operation.”

Oriol Margo, Sustainability Transformation Leader for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Kimberly-Clark, said: “This is a significant milestone for decarbonising our operations as we aim to deliver on our ambition of 100% renewable energy in the UK and Ireland by 2030. The Barrow Green Hydrogen project will reduce the reliance on natural gas significantly at our nearby manufacturing facility, so we’re pleased to see that it’s been received positively by local MPs and businesses. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with Carlton as we move onto the next stage of the project.”

The Government’s shortlisted hydrogen projects: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-business-model-net-zero-hydrogen-fund-shortlisted-projects/hydrogen-business-model-net-zero-hydrogen-fund-shortlisted-projects-allocation-round-2022

For more information 

Carlton Power (www.barrowgreenhydrogen.co.uk)  

Eric Adams, Projects Director:  eadams@carltonpower.co.uk / 07803 085942 

Paul Taylor, Taylor Keogh Communications: paul@taylorkeogh.com / 07966 782611 

Kimberly-Clark (www.kimberly-clark.com)

Ed Coy, BCW: ed.coy@bcw-global.com / 07553 198314