BRADFORD residents are being invited to have their say on a state-of-the-art hydrogen power site that could remove the equivalent of 1,000 buses worth of carbon a day in West Yorkshire.

The proposed site - which will deliver low carbon energy to Bradford - has been hailed as a key step to creating a greener future.

With fossil fuels being phased out of the vehicle industry in the coming decade, hydrogen power is seen as one of the possible new clean energy sources that could take its place.

If proposals go ahead, the multi-million pound scheme would be found on the Northern Gas Networks Birkshall site on Peace Street, adjacent to Bowling Back Lane.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The Northern Gas Networks Birkshall site on Peace Street, adjacent to Bowling Back Lane.The Northern Gas Networks Birkshall site on Peace Street, adjacent to Bowling Back Lane. (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

In a potential UK-first, the centre would provide facilities for local businesses and residents to refuel their hydrogen powered and electric vehicles.

Once up and running, it would create enough energy to power all the buses in Bradford. 

The project is a partnership between Northern Gas Networks and clean energy pioneers Hygen and N-Gen.

Hygen builds, owns and operates commercial scale hydrogen production facilities across the UK while N-Gen is an energy developer looking for decarbonisation solutions.

Gareth Mills, managing director of N-Gen said: “This is a very exciting project for the City of Bradford, the wider community and area.

“Bradford Council declared a climate emergency in January 2019 and we believe this facility will have an important role in helping the area deliver its climate change ambitions, as well as breathing new life into the proposed site it will be located on.”

In the next step towards building a hydrogen power site, members of the public have been invited to have their say.

Developers will be holding their main consultation event will be held at Ingus Hall at Kala Sangam, St Peters House.

It will take place between 3pm to 7pm on Tuesday, September.

A further event specifically for local residents living near Bowling Back Lane is being held on Monday, September 11.

Andrew Newman, managing director of Hygen said: “According to our projections, around 30 jobs could be created during construction of the facility and once up and running, it will have capacity to generate approximately 16 tonnes of hydrogen per day – enough to power all the buses in Bradford.

“We welcome interest in the Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility and look forward to meeting people at the consultation events.”

As well as the consultation events, people can visit the project’s website and sign up to a newsletter with information for local residents within the site’s vicinity.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to Bradford Council later in 2023, Hygen and N-Gen said, and if approved, construction could commence mid-2024. The site is hoped to be operational by 2025.

Initial plans included solar panels. These are now not part of the development, but those behind the plans said the site will be using low-carbon energy in its operations. 

The initial plans also included an on-site skills and training centre. This will now be moved off-site to maximise space for public charging and refuelling facilities..

Development of the plans for the site is ongoing and are likely to change as feedback is gathered from stakeholders and statutory consultees.

In 2020 plans for a similar facility at the waste recycling plant at Bowling Back Lane were announced by Bradford Council with much fanfare. It would involve compressed gas being used to fuel a new generation of vehicles such as bin wagons.

But in early 2022, it was announced that the plans had been put on hold, partly due to the lengthy waiting list for gas powered vehicles.

A report sent to Bradford Council’s Scrutiny Committee showed Northern Gas Networks submitted an application for £6.8m into the BEIS Net Zero Hydrogen Fund to help develop the site.

It has since been shortlisted for funding.

The report said: “BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy) funding will equate to 20 per cent of project funding – with the remaining funding provided by the private sector.”

The report says both the University of Bradford and Bradford College had expressed interest in the training centre on the site.

At the time, Gareth Mills, strategic planning director at Northern Gas Networks, said: “NGN has long been committed to supporting the role of hydrogen in the low carbon energy system of the future.

“It is exciting for us to see one of our conventional gas storage sites that has been serving the people of Bradford since the early 20th century now being converted into a hydrogen facility for the 21st Century.”