Four leading UK energy companies are teaming up to bid for £500m of government funding to build what could become the country’s first regional hydrogen transport and storage network in the Humber.
National Gas, Centrica, Equinor and SSE Thermal announced the proposal under the Humber Hydrogen banner. They plan to submit formal applications through the government’s Hydrogen Transport and Storage Business Model, with decisions expected to determine the location of the UK’s pioneering integrated hydrogen infrastructure.
The partners are combining expertise in hydrogen production, transport, storage and usage to link key sites across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, including Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage, Equinor’s H2H Saltend scheme and SSE’s Keadby Next Generation Power Station. The integrated system is expected to support up to 3 GW of hydrogen production capacity, enabling low-carbon hydrogen to be transported and stored for heavy industry and power generation.
A spokesperson for the consortium positioned the Humber as unmatched for industrial demand, geology, supply chains and skills. National Gas chief commercial officer Ian Radley said no other UK region offers the same combination to unlock clean power potential. Centrica’s Martin Scargill highlighted opportunities for industrial decarbonisation, jobs and competitiveness in the UK’s most carbon-intensive cluster.
Local stakeholders have also rallied behind the proposal. Humber Energy Board chair Richard Gwilliam described the bid as a potential “game‑changer” for the region, while MPs Melanie Onn and Graham Stuart said the area’s geology, geography and concentration of key industries make it an ideal location for a first‑of‑a‑kind hydrogen network. They argued that government support would help cut emissions, create jobs and “bring investment back to the Humber.”
