A newly-released report by Scottish Enterprise says that Scotland can become a world-leading producer and exporter of clean hydrogen within the next ten years due to its unique geography, infrastructure and energy expertise. It also finds that the development of clean hydrogen technologies and large-scale deployment will be paramount to the success of Scotland’s target of net zero by 2045. The report was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise and undertaken by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and the Net Zero Technology Centre, ... Read more

Businesses do not believe the Government is being ambitious enough in efforts to create a "world-leading" hydrogen market, with the commitment of 5GW of green and blue hydrogen by 2030 failing to generate confidence within the private sector. Under the Government’s Ten Point Plan, the UK will aim to generate 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. Up to £500m will be invested in a bid to create a Hydrogen Neighbourhood in 2023, a Hydrogen Village by 2025 and to create ... Read more

Engineering specialist Sheffield Forgemasters will begin exploring how to manufacture a vital part of a new facility to demonstrate nuclear fusion technology. The General Fusion project is an important step to bringing the benefits of zero-carbon fusion energy to the world. The Fusion Demonstration Plant will showcase General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion nuclear power technology at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus, which is a leading hub of fusion research. Sheffield Forgemasters is using its extensive experience and manufacturing capabilities in nuclear power ... Read more

North Yorkshire-based energy group Drax has signed a long-term deal to help deliver the world’s largest negative emissions power generation project. Drax and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have agreed a deal for the company to use its carbon capture technology – the Advanced KM CDR process. Combining UK innovation and Japanese technology, the contract will see Drax license MHI’s unique carbon capture solvent, KS-21, to capture CO2 at its power station near Selby. Drax is already the ... Read more

Scottish Enterprise has appointed global energy consultancy Xodus Group to the role of Offshore Wind Cluster Builder to develop and grow the offshore wind supply chain across Scotland. The Offshore Wind Cluster Builder will support Scotland’s existing offshore wind clusters, Deep Wind and Forth &Tay Offshore, in their remit to foster collaboration, drive competitiveness and improve productivity in Scottish Offshore Wind. The project will do this by delivering a range of services to SMEs including one-to-one support, events, workshops and market intelligence, as ... Read more

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a landmark report outlining the sweeping changes needed in the power, energy and heat sectors if the world is to have the best chance of limiting temperature increases to 1.5C. Described the world’s first comprehensive roadmap to a net-zero energy sector globally, the report states that the window to deliver on net-zero by 2050 is “narrow” but that the transition can be managed to bring “huge benefits” in terms of job creation, economic growth and ... Read more

There are concerns that changes to the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme could hamper future offshore wind investment decisions.  As part of the amendments, offshore wind developers may have their subsidy terminated unless they deliver on pledges to utilise the domestic supply chain. Bosses at Vattenfall called for a “transparent supply chain assessment process” to be put in place in order to minimise the investment risk. However, the Swedish renewables giant welcomed the decision to bring forward the timeline for assessing ... Read more

Derby’s bid to establish a world-class advanced manufacturing research centre at Infinity Park Derby has taken a step closer, with the submission of a full planning application by Infinity Park Derby. The new research facility will be operated by the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC), if approved. The Nuclear AMRC helps companies develop new techniques to win work in the nuclear sector, and tackle manufacturing challenges in automotive, rail, aerospace, renewable energy and other high-value sectors. It is part of the ... Read more

The tumbling costs of wind and solar can unlock demand that could power the world 100 times over, with a new report from think tank Carbon Tracker finding that renewables are set to push fossil fuels out of the electricity mix by the mid-2030s. A new report from Carbon Tracker finds that 60% of the world’s solar resource and 15% of its wind resource are economically comparable with local fossil fuel generation. As costs fall further, fossil fuels could be pushed out ... Read more