H2 Green Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the net zero technology provider Getech Group (GTC ) has signed an agreement with the Highland Council incorporated under the Local Government of Scotland to develop a green hydrogen network across the Highlands.
The Memorandum of Understanding (the “MoU”) signed between H2 Green, a developer and operator of green hydrogen hub infrastructure, and the Highland Council, incorporates a vision to create a regional network of green hydrogen hubs across the Scottish Highlands.
The infrastructure is intended to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Highlands council area, the largest administrative unit in the United Kingdom covering almost a third of Scotland.
Together, and pursuant to the MoU H2 Green and the Highland Council will produce a regional plan to develop a network of green hydrogen hubs - placing hydrogen production, storage and delivery infrastructure at optimal locations across the Scottish Highlands.
H2 Green and the Highland Council will seek to establish commercial agreements for green hydrogen offtake as well as for the consumption of by-products of hydrogen generation. In addition, the Highland Council will contribute £100,000 to the cost of this initial work in total.
The Parties have already commenced negotiations on the terms of a joint venture agreement under which the proposed Highlands decarbonisation plan will be delivered. To facilitate this negotiation, the Highland Council has granted H2 Green six months of exclusivity.
Shares in Getech Group were trading 2.71% higher at 29.8p following the news.
Getech’s CEO, Dr Jonathan Copus, said: “The signing of the MoU is a significant milestone for our plan to establish a world-class regional hydrogen network in the Highlands. At the core of this network is our first planned hydrogen hub with SGN Commercial Services located in Inverness, which will service large-volume customers. In line with these goals, we have already announced agreements with Eversholt Rail to accelerate the wide-scale deployment of their hydrogen-powered trains on the Far North and West Highland Lines of Scotland.”
The activities and the initiative “are set to establish the Highlands as the leading UK-centre for decarbonisation and innovation” in addition to supporting job creation, delivering energy security and providing “a sustainable path” for the region’s net zero transition,” he added.
Leader of the Highland Council, Councillor Margaret Davidson, outlined: “We view H2 Green as a dynamic and delivery-focused partner positioned to deliver this vision for the Council.”
She added: “The planned work has the potential to establish the Highlands as a leading innovation centre for the decarbonisation of commercial transport. We see this as an important opportunity to attract external investment into the region, providing additional jobs and supply chain developments that will accelerate the net zero transition.”
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