A multidisciplinary team has won planning consent for a green hydrogen plant at Cromarty in what is Scotland’s only hydrogen project with a contract-for-difference (CfD) awarded under the UK Government’s first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1).
The Cromarty Green Hydrogen Production Facility (CGHPF), to be developed by Protium about 12km north of Alness beside the existing Beinn Tharsuinn wind farm, has been granted permission after a five‑year planning and environmental assessment process led by RSK Environment.
The 15MW facility is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with operations expected to start in 2029.
Green hydrogen is produced by using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It generates little or no carbon dioxide at the point of production.
The plant will produce around 6,480kg of green hydrogen per day hoping to cut roughly 13,002t of carbon emissions a year and support 126 jobs across construction and operation.
The development is intended to supply local industry and heavy transport across the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, and to replace diesel or gas‑fired off‑grid generators.
Planning consent follows detailed surveys and environmental work that addressed a range of regulatory and design issues, according to RSK Environment.
Assessments covered water supply, peatland protection, ecology, landscape and transport impacts.
The consent contains requirements for peatland restoration, heathland enhancement, riparian woodland creation, protected‑species safeguards and long‑term habitat management.
Regulatory bodies including NatureScot, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Highland Council concluded that, subject to conditions, the proposed biodiversity compensation and enhancement measures would leave the wider area in a demonstrably better ecological condition.
RSK Environment coordinated contributions from several specialist firms – Headland Archaeology, WRc, Stephenson Halliday, RSK Acoustics and Envireau – while independent consultancy Avian Ecology provided ornithology and ecology input.
The team said it navigated changing ownership and an evolving design.
RSK Environment principal consultant Adam Paterson said: “Securing consent for a project of this scale is a significant achievement and an important step towards developing green hydrogen infrastructure in Scotland.
“The project will help to decarbonise Scotland’s whisky sector while supporting the growth of a new clean-energy industry in the Highlands.
“Hydrogen developments sit within an evolving policy and regulatory environment, so bringing together planning, environmental, ecological and technical specialists was critical to achieving a successful outcome.”
He added: “This project shows how integrated multidisciplinary support can help complex low-carbon energy projects progress from concept to consent. It also shows how established electrolysis technology can be adapted for a challenging rural location while meeting demanding environmental and planning requirements.
“The lessons learned through the consenting process will be relevant to other hydrogen developments across the UK as the sector continues to grow.”
Protium head of projects Nick Hayward said: “Cromarty is the first major step for our Scottish Hydrogen Hub.
“It proves that UK-backed green hydrogen projects can move quickly from acquisition to consent when you have the right fundamentals and team in place.
“Finding the ideal location was a challenge – it needed to make complete sense technically, commercially, and for the local community and environment.”
