Green hydrogen hub in Devon to supply Sibelco and Imerys

Carlton Power sign hydrogen partnership agreements with international mining companies

FOLLOWING last month’s announcement that their Langage Green Hydrogen project, located eight miles east of Plymouth, Devon, had been shortlisted by the UK Government for financial support, Carlton Power have signed partnership agreements for Langage to supply hydrogen fuel to Imerys and Sibelco.

Both companies have clay mining operations within five miles of the Langage site. Sibelco’s Cornwood operation and Imerys’ Lee Moor operation both produce kaolin, mainly for the brick, ceramic and tile industries.

Both Sibelco and Imerys plan to cut their greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and say the transition away from fossil fuels to hydrogen is an important lever in their sustainability strategies.

Carlton’s 10MW hydrogen hub project at Langage, the first of its kind in south-west of England, is earmarked to enter operation in 2025 and will help the two companies achieve their sustainability goals. The green hydrogen produced at Langage will be supplied by an underground pipeline to Cornwood and Lee Moor.

Ben Uphill, director of operations at Sibelco, said: ‘The hydrogen scheme at Langage fits well with our drive to use greener fuel alternatives. With our site only a few kilometres away from the proposed hydrogen production facility, it seems an ideal concept to be involved with, and it’s good to hear greener energy being produced locally, securing energy supply.’

Mark Hewson, UK hub director at Imerys Minerals, said: ‘Imerys will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030, from the base year of 2021. Our UK operations are committed to carbon emission reduction and one of the important strands of our strategy is the use of hydrogen to replace natural gas in our calcining operations.

‘As such, the partnership agreement with Carlton Power in their Langage project is very important and will facilitate our transition from natural gas and consequently the reduction in our carbon emissions.’

Eric Adams, hydrogen projects director at Carlton Power, said: ‘We are delighted that Sibelco and Imerys, both major mining companies with operations across Devon and Cornwall, will work with Carlton Power to enable Langage to supply green hydrogen to their operations.

‘Their move gives a strong and positive signal to other high-energy users in the West Country to make the switch. Following the development of our initial 10MW project at Langage, we hope to increase its capacity to allow more companies – in industry, manufacturing and transport – to decarbonize their operations.’

The development of Langage Green Energy has benefited from the support of a range of local organizations including South Hams District Council, Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and the South West Business Council. Sir Gary Streeter MP and other South West MPs have also expressed support for the scheme.

The project, which forms part of the proposed Plymouth & South Devon Freeport, secured planning consent from South Hams Council in 2022 and, subject to reaching final agreements with the UK Government and a financial investment decision, Carlton Power are aiming to start construction on site before the end of this year.