RenewableUK has called on the government and devolved administrations to reform planning rules to ensure green hydrogen projects can be built swiftly around the country and play a crucial role in the UK’s future energy system.
The government has targeted 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity for 2030. At least half of this is set to come from green hydrogen. This makes timely deployment crucial, yet this urgency has not been reflected in the planning regime, which is instead “slow, complex and difficult to navigate” for developers when they come forwards to seek consent.
To work around this, RenewableUK has unveiled a guide, honing in on various “sticking points” and looking at how to resolve them.
There has been limited national planning guidance specific to green hydrogen across the UK, meaning local planning authorities and national governments have little go by when it comes to providing guidance. There is also a lack of clarity when it comes to whether or not a green hydrogen project that would be built beside a large wind or solar farm can be included within the same planning application, or needs a separate one under a different regime. To rectify this, RenewableUK is calling for all national planning guidance on renewable energy generation across the UK to be amended to consider green hydrogen.
There is also a perception that green hydrogen can have a negative impact on local water supply. Water scarcity is a major concern for regulators and the public, which means water usage for green hydrogen production needs to be managed sustainably. It is proposing a strategic approach to future water needs, including for electrolysis, with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero finalising its study on the impact of low carbon hydrogen on local water sources as soon as possible; exploring options to mitigate water stress; and to develop guidance and assurance on water supply impact.
It also highlighted how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and environmental regulators are not able to process the pipeline of green hydrogen projects quickly enough right now. This is due to having insufficient resources to do so. RenewableUK is calling for government to ensure they have access to adequate funding, while also updating guidance for the HSE and environmental agencies, including a net zero mandate.
