Green light for plastic-to-hydrogen facility

Plans for a plastic-to-hydrogen facility in West Dunbartonshire in Scotland have been given approval.

On 8 June, Peel NRE announced that West Dunbartonshire Council had given the green light for a £20mn facility that will turn waste plastic into hydrogen. It will be the second facility of its kind in the UK, following Peel's Protos site in Cheshire near Ellesmere Port for which construction will begin this year. This site in Scotland, situated at Rothesay Dock on the north bank of the River Clyde, will take around 15 months to complete.

Peel NRE has signed a collaboration agreement with Powerhouse Energy Group to develop 11 waste plastic to hydrogen facilities across the UK over the coming years, with the option of exclusive rights for a total of 70 plants. The 13,500 tonne plant will use Powerhouse Energy's technology to create a local source of sustainable hydrogen from non-recyclable plastics that would have otherwise been destined for landfill, incineration or export overseas. The hydrogen will then be used as a clean fuel for HGVs, buses and cars, with plans for a linked hydrogen refuelling station on the site