A new green hydrogen plant is set to be up and running in Emersons Green next spring after securing £2.5 million of funding from the West of England Authority, led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

The production, storage and research site will make green hydrogen at the Institute of Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) at Bristol and Bath Science Park.

It will be the first of its kind in the region, says Metro Mayor Dan Norris, and could form the blueprint for Labour's newly announced policy to end reliance on fossil fuels by the end of the decade.

The energy created will be used on the IAAPS site to reduce the building's carbon footprint while they carry out crucial research on how to use green hydrogen in hard-to-electrify sectors such as aviation, shipping, and heavy-duty transport. 

During Labour's conference in Liverpool, Sir Keir Starmer announced plans for all the country's electricity to be generated by renewable and nuclear power by 2030, with wind and solar making up about 70% of the mix, and other low-carbon sources (including hydrogen) making up the remaining 30%.

The project will bring an estimated £5m to the West as business move to the region to undertake research at the facility.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris urged Sir Keir to look to this West of England as a pathfinder to get to net-zero energy by 2030. He said: "Hydrogen is clean, it's powerful and there is lots of it. That's why I'm pleased to vote for this £2.5 million cash injection in this zero-emission fuel. This is the right direction of travel facing up to the future rather than going back to the past with fracking.

The Green Hydrogen plant puts IAAPS, the University of Bath and the West of England region at the forefront of hydrogen research and innovation. The next Labour government wants all electricity to be generated by renewable and nuclear power by 2030 and this scheme, with its focus on hard to reach areas, will be important to meet that challenge.