Plans for two new green hydrogen projects in Co Offaly and Co Mayo have been unveiled today after the Government published its National Hydrogen Strategy earlier this week.
Mercury Renewables, a renewable energy developer based in Mayo and the UK, has submitted the first ever Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) planning application for a utility scale integrated wind farm and green hydrogen project in Ireland to An Bord Pleanála.
Meanwhile, Bord na Móna has secured planning permission for a new 2MW pilot scale Hydrogen Electrolysis Plant in Mount Lucas in Co Offaly
Once fully operational, Mercury Renewables said the €200m development in Firlough on the Mayo-Sligo border will produce 4.5 million kilograms of green hydrogen a year.
This will fuel 16,665 cars, 667 lorries, 1,397 buses or 125 trains every year.
The company said the development will be a significant contributor to scaling up the country's hydrogen economy, a key objective of the National Hydrogen Strategy.
Through a process called electrolysis, the hydrogen plant will use renewable energy provided by the Firlough Wind Farm to split water into environmentally friendly green hydrogen and oxygen with no emissions or harmful bye products.
The planning application consists of a 78MW, 13-turbine wind farm as well as the proposed hydrogen plant. The new plant is expected to create between 100 to 150 jobs during construction and between 10 to 20 further full time and part time jobs when it is finished.
Mercury Renewables hope the project will start operations in 2025, but added that the actual date will depend on the time required by An Bord Pleanála to complete their assessment of the application.
In 2013, the company received planning permission for 21 wind turbines at the Firlough Wind Farm site which is zoned for renewable energy development.
However, due to grid constraints and the enormous potential for green hydrogen production in the region, the company then decided to seek planning for the electrolyzer plant with fewer wind turbines.
Mercury Renewables COO Tim Bills-Everett said the Firlough development is further great news for the West of Ireland as it establishes the region as a centre for green hydrogen production as well as encouraging new business to set-up here with the promise of a locally produced green fuel.
"Our Firlough Wind Farm and Green Hydrogen project will act as a catalyst to attract new business to the region, potentially creating hundreds of new jobs in addition to those directly related to the project," Mr Bills-Everett said.
"Firlough represents a significant step forward in establishing an Irish Green Hydrogen economy, with the West of Ireland at the forefront. We are already in discussions with several multinational companies regarding the supply of our green hydrogen for use in transportation and industry," he added.
Bord an Móna's first green hydrogen production plant gets planning permission
Meanwhile, Bord na Móna has secured planning permission for a new 2MW pilot scale Hydrogen Electrolysis Plant in Mount Lucas in Co Offaly.
Once operational, the new plant will generate over 200,000 kilograms of green hydrogen a year.
The project is the first of its kind in the country and marks an important step for the green hydrogen industry, as it will support getting to the country's national target of 2GW of green hydrogen energy by 2030.
Bord na Móna said the green energy produced at the Mount Lucas site will be used to help decarbonise certain elements of the national transport sector.
It will produce enough green energy every year to replace over half a million litres of diesel, it added.
The Mount Lucas plant is part of the first phase of Bord na Móna's overall hydrogen development strategy with construction set to start next year, and production to begin by 2025.
The plant aligns with the Government's new National Hydrogen Strategy and its ambitions for renewable hydrogen to support Ireland's decarbonisation requirements and energy security needs.
The hydrogen outputs from the plant will also help support energy requirements for difficult-to-decarbonise industries where other energy solutions like electrification are not viable.
Bord na Móna said the project forms part of its commitment to the continued expansion of its renewable energy and climate solutions portfolio to support the country's green energy requirements by 2030.
John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy, said the launch of the hydrogen production facility at Mount Lucas marks a significant milestone for Bord na Móna as it continues its transition fossil fuels to green energy production.
"We are looking forward to proceeding with the commercial development phase of the project leading to construction and full commercial operation by 2025, as well as the green employment opportunities that a development such as this will facilitate now and in the future," Mr Reilly added.
Mr Reilly also said that Bord na Móna welcomed the publication of the Government's new National Hydrogen Strategy to support continued progress in the area of green hydrogen.
"We in Bord na Móna certainly feel green hydrogen will have a key role to play in Ireland's energy transition and will become part of our energy system as we seek to decarbonise the wider economy," he said.
"The publication of the National Hydrogen Strategy will help kick-start that journey. We particularly welcome the commitment to establish an innovation fund to provide co-funding supports for demonstration projects across the hydrogen value chain, as such funding could lead to the early deployment of our Mountlucas Green Hydrogen project.
"The development of the Mount Lucas project will help support the ambitions set out in this strategy, as well as marking another important step in Bord na Móna's Brown to Green transition and our commitment to continue expanding our range of renewable energy and climate solutions projects in line with Ireland’s 2030 carbon emissions targets," he added.
