The advancement of the global hydrogen sector has been a sight for sore eyes in a world that has been dominated by fossil fuel-based energy generation. The UK has become the latest nation to develop its hydrogen energy infrastructure and has now revealed that Protium, a UK-based hydrogen energy company, has announced plans for a new green hydrogen facility in Wales, dubbed ‘Pioneer 2’. This follows Protium’s first hydrogen facility in Wales and builds on the company’s significant reputation in the European hydrogen market.
Protium has been working hard to advance the UK’s transition to renewable energy
The second hydrogen facility in Wales for Protium establishes the company as a market leader in the successful deployment of electrolyzers for the hydrogen sector. The company has noted that the Pioneer 2 facility is a significant step forward in its vision to supply the United Kingdom with clean, renewable, and safe energy through the PEM process.
The project comes as the initial Pioneer 1 development reached its full capacity recently. Pioneer 2, however, will feature the largest Proton Exchange Membrane system anywhere in operation in the United Kingdom and positions the nation as a market leader in the successful adoption of renewable energy projects. The new Pioneer 2 facility will deliver upwards of one tonne of green hydrogen every single day.
“Pioneer 2 is a key milestone for Protium and for UK green hydrogen. For the company, this represents a 25x increase in our existing hydrogen production capacity and for our customers, this means Protium will be able to support larger volumes of hydrogen and in a greater variety of storage products than ever before.” – Chris Jackson, CEO of Protium
The UK is attempting to electrify its most defiant and troublesome sectors
The UK government has noted its intention to electrify several of its most difficult industrial sectors, such as H2 autonomous vehicles, e-fuel production, and R&D facilities. The PEM system that will be used at the Pioneer 2 facility in Wales will also be one of the first to participate in grid balancing. This comes after Protium’s notable collaboration with Flexitricity, which was the first-ever green hydrogen project to be supported by the UK government’s capacity market auction process.
The project will support the UK’s ambitions to fast-track the deployment of renewable energy projects, which the government has noted is a top priority. As the planning and permits have been completed, the Pioneer 2 facility has secured the necessary equipment for the project. It will make use of a 2.5 MWe Nel electrolyzer, which is already on site and ready for full-scale operations.
While the EU has unlocked billions in funding for hydrogen projects, the Pioneer 2 project will boost the UK’s hydrogen production capacity, with expectations for full-scale operations to kick off next year.
“Having operated Pioneer 1 for more than two years, we’ve seen the demand in the market for available green hydrogen, and we know that supply is now the constraint on further UK green hydrogen demand growth. That’s why we are proud to be leading the way, supporting our customers in South Wales and beyond in their net zero journey.” – Chris Jackson, CEO of Protium
A new era of clean energy generation has emerged to transform the global energy market
It has become evident that drastic action needs to be taken to reduce the impact of the energy sector on our environment. The United Kingdom is fostering a new era of clean energy production through a litany of wind and hydrogen projects. While the wind sector is already a developed market for energy generation, the hydrogen sector has not received the same kind of attention. Producing and transporting hydrogen can be exceedingly expensive, but the UK has doubled down on its renewable energy ambitions over the past few months.
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