SSE and Siemens Energy have launched ‘Mission H2 Power’ – a collaboration which aims to deliver gas turbine technology capable of running on 100% hydrogen.
The project will build on the existing partnership between the companies. It will support the decarbonisation of SSE’s Keadby 2 power station in North Lincolnshire, UK, which is powered by Siemens SGT5-9000HL gas turbine. At what is regarded as Europe’s most efficient combined cycle power plant, blending hydrogen into operations will ‘ensure the class-leading technology is fit for a net zero future.’
The multi-million-pound co-investment will see Siemens Energy develop a combustion system for its SGT5-9000HL gas turbine capable of operating on 100% hydrogen, while maintaining the flexibility to operate with natural gas and any blend of the two. This will see additional facilities constructed at Siemens Energy’s Clean Energy Centre in Berlin to allow testing of the technology for large gas turbines to take place.
Background
Analysis from NESO (National Energy System Operator) suggests that around 7 GW of low-carbon flexible power will likely be needed on the system by 2035, with around half of that capacity provided by hydrogen-fired power stations.
One such project is Keadby Next Generation power station, which could become one of the world’s first major at scale 100% hydrogen-fired power stations. The plant, which is being developed in partnership with Equinor, would be capable of running on either hydrogen or natural gas, or a blend of the two.
SSE’s Keadby site already plays a strategically important role in the energy system and has the potential, says SSE, to become a low-carbon generation hub with a decarbonising Keadby 2 sitting alongside new power stations employing hydrogen or carbon capture technology.
