National Gas has joined Centrica, Equinor and SSE Thermal in a coordinated bid to create Britain’s first integrated hydrogen transport and storage network in the Humber Estuary.
The partnership, known as Humber Hydrogen, aims to establish a regional hydrogen backbone to cut industrial emissions and support long-term sustainability.
The companies will submit proposals under the UK Government’s Hydrogen Transport and Storage Business Model process to determine where the first national hydrogen network will be located. The funding decision, expected to be worth around £500 million, would underpin large-scale hydrogen deployment and enable low-carbon growth across the region.
Humber Hydrogen brings together the Humber Hydrogen Pipeline and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage to form a coordinated system linking hydrogen production, transport, storage and end-use.
The proposed network would connect key sites across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, including Aldbrough, Easington, Saltend, Immingham and Keadby.
Several major hydrogen production projects are planned in the Humber, including the H2H Easington and H2H Saltend plants. Combined, the two projects could produce up to 3GW of hydrogen to supply local industry and power generation.
The Humber is currently the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial cluster, making it a priority location for emissions reduction.
The new network would enable fuel switching in hard-to-electrify sectors such as chemicals, steel, heavy manufacturing and dispatchable power, helping accelerate regional decarbonisation.
The infrastructure would also support the production of low-carbon ammonia and help establish a sustainable aviation fuel industry in the region.
Together, these developments are intended to strengthen energy security while delivering a cleaner industrial economy.
But why choose the Humber?
Ian Radley, Chief Commercial Officer at National Gas, said: “Nowhere else in Britain can match what it offers in industrial demand, infrastructure, supply chains, geological storage and skilled people who can unlock Britain’s clean power potential.”
Kelly de Azevedo Dent, Development Director at SSE Thermal, said: “The region is home to a wide range of projects across the hydrogen value chain, with these projects crucial to delivering skills and jobs opportunities in the area – that is why we’ve come together as Humber Hydrogen to drive progress forward.”
Ian Livingston, Head of UK Hydrogen & Ammonia at Equinor, added: “The geology, concentration of industry and existing skills base make this the natural home for the UK’s first hydrogen transport and storage network.”
And Martin Scargill, Managing Director of Centrica Energy Storage +, said: “Humber Hydrogen is a major opportunity for the UK to accelerate low carbon economic growth and strengthen its leadership in hydrogen. By backing the Humber, the Government can drive industrial decarbonisation, boost competitiveness, and create thousands of skilled jobs across a region that sits at the heart of the UK’s energy system.”
Political and regional leaders have also called for swift backing for the project to secure long-term emissions reductions and sustainable growth.
Richard Gwilliam, Chair of the Humber Energy Board, said: “Backing plans to deliver hydrogen infrastructure in the Humber in 2026 would be a game-changing decision from Government which would support the transformation of the region’s economy and enhance our critical role in providing energy security for the UK.”
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