ScottishPower’s Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project in the UK completes its FEED study after contract award to Black & Veatch in October of 2024. The new green hydrogen project is located 24.14 kilometers (15 miles) south of Glasgow in the UK.
Project Factsheet
Location: Adjacent to the 539 MW Whitelee Wind Farm, Glasgow
Project lead: ScottishPower Renewables
Electrolyser designer and supplier: ITM Power
Engineering and operations partner: BOC (Linde)
FEED Study contractor: Black & Veatch
Cost: £9.4 million
Phases: 2
Current phase: 1
Planning application: April 2021
Investment decision: Summer 2022
Expected operational date: 2025 to end of 2026
Current Project Status
ScottishPower Renewables’ Whitelee is currently in the scaling-up process, targeting system and electrolyser integration. This allows for commercial hydrogen production and supply to transport and industrial sectors. A production target of up to 10 tons of hydrogen per day is expected of the Whitelee facility once operational.
ScottishPower’s Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project
The Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project will connect to UK’s largest onshore windfarm: the Whitelee windfarm. The windfarm is located in East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. With 215-turbines, the Whitelee windfarm generates 539 MW of wind energy and is also currently operated by ScottishPower Renewables.
The planned windfarm-hydrogen hub connection will allow for creation of more clean renewable energy in the region, a move aligning with global goals related to energy and climate change.
Whitelee Solar/Hydrogen/BESS Project
In addition to the green hydrogen production facility, ScottishPower will also develop a 20 MW solar facility and a 50 MW BESS facility. The BESS (Whitelee BESS) is also currently under construction. These will concert efforts to support and stabilize the green hydrogen production facility.
Production process efficiency and output maximization are clearly of key importance in the planning and development of the Whitelee Solar/Hydrogen/BESS project.
Technology use in the Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project
Integrated in the design of the facility is:
- 20 MW electrolyser
- Co-located 20 MW solar PV and 50 MW BESS facilities
The FEED Study
Black & Veatch’s Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study contract entailed a look at OEM’s electrolyser package design, and the design of all balance of plant scope. Also included in the designs were the details of hydrogen compression and a tube-trailer dispensing station.
Black & Veatch’s Green Hydrogen FEED study for ScottishPower in the UK also sets pace for the first phase of Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project. This phase covers 10MW of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Additionally, the design from Black & Veatch also includes a second phase that incorporates an additional 10MW in electrolysis capacity.
Also read: Hive Hydrogen Launches $5.8 Billion South Africa’s Green Hydrogen Project in Coega
Feasibility of the project
The project proves essential because of the following:
- Growing green hydrogen market demand
- Whitelee’s ready electricity supply
- Readily available energy infrastructure
What is expected of the project?
Upon start of construction and project completion, UK’s Whitelee Green Hydrogen project will:
- Produce green hydrogen using only renewable resources (wind and solar-BESS energy cycle)
- Support zero-emission in the transport sector by fueling public transport and heavy freight vehicles
- Support the project’s scaling ambition. The 10 MW facility will set step for the full 20 MW capacity facility
- Create jobs and boost local income
UK’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 and 2 (HAR1 and HAR2)
HAR1 launched and closed in July 2022 and August 2023 respectively. Its target was 250 MW of hydrogen production and was successfully awarded to 11 projects. Among the awardees was the Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project. The project is also among 3 that signed contracts in December 2024. This was alongside Cromarty and West Wales. According to the UK government, these projects expect operational status between 2025 and end of 2026.
HAR2 on the other hand was launched and closed in December 2023 and April 2024 respectively. Its target was 875 MW of electrolytic capacity by end of 2025. 27 projects were shortlisted across England, Scotland and Wales. Whitelee’s phase 2 was also among the beneficiaries of the round of energy project allocation.
The recent announcement of completion of FEED study for the Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project is a clear demonstration of progress made from the HAR allocations.
The Whitelee project is also a pioneer in UK’s “power-to-hydrogen” systems and is expected to foster transition to greener energy sources.
Also read: £500 Million Investment Planned for UK’s First Regional Hydrogen Transport and Storage Network
