As Net Zero Week drives focus on the UK’s progress to the 2050 target, Wales’ journey towards Net Zero is already being boosted with green hydrogen produced in South Wales. Green hydrogen specialist, Protium, is driving projects that are powering buses and will offer Welsh industry a route to decarbonisation by providing a clean, renewable source of hydrogen fuel. Net Zero Week is an annual UK event and takes place from July 1 to 7.
Going green – the Budweiser brewery at Magor, which is planned to be powered by green hydrogen. Image Credit: Protium
With its Welsh base in Cardiff, Protium is the largest green hydrogen producer in Wales. Leading this charge is its project called Pioneer One - a partnership with the University of South Wales (USW); award winning hydrogen equipment manufacturer, Enapter; and hydrogen refuelling technology specialist, Fuel Cell Systems Ltd.
Based at USW’s Hydrogen Centre in Baglan, Pioneer One marks a significant milestone in building a network of hydrogen generating facilities for Wales. Aimed at powering Welsh industry, it will help drive change, scale up and increase adoption of zero emission green energy as part of the Government’s drive to Net Zero. The university base also provides the critical opportunity for learning and research around green hydrogen and its value within the renewable energy sector.
Pioneer One’s electrolyser – the equipment which separates water into oxygen and hydrogen -produced its first green hydrogen in May this year. This is already being used to fuel a hydrogen-powered bus service, between Neath bus station and the town of Pontardawe, which passengers have been enjoying for the past month.
Protium’s partnership with a multinational brewer on green hydrogen projects is also set to benefit Wales’ progress. This partnership is developing a project to power the Budweiser Magor brewery operation and transport, based in South Wales, and one of the largest brewery sites in the UK.
Chris Jackson, Chief Executive Officer at Protium, said: “We applaud the commitment and the critical targets set by Wales to reach Net Zero. We’re proud that the hydrogen produced by Pioneer One, along with our other exciting projects in the pipeline, will help Wales to deliver its targets on this pathway.
“We’ve invested over £5m in Wales since 2021 and are already the largest green hydrogen producer in Wales, but we are hugely ambitious to expand our operations here and to play an even greater part in the drive towards Net Zero.
“It’s important to stress that these critical projects would not be possible without the tremendous welcome and support which we have received from organisations, local authorities, the Welsh Government, the Senedd Cymru, and people in Wales. Their openness to ideas, their expertise and their determination to get involved in these projects has been so important so far – we couldn’t wish for better people to be going on this journey to Net Zero with.”