A HYDROGEN fuelling station planned for Bradford could play a key part in attracting new businesses to the city – councillors have been told.

The HyBradford facility is due to open on a former gas storage site off Bowling Back Lane in 2025, and late last year the scheme received millions worth of Government funding.

It is hoped the scheme will make Bradford a leader in the new, greener energy at a time when many companies are looking to wean themselves off fossil fuels.

The plans were discussed at a recent meeting of Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee, where members heard the facility would be one of the UK’s largest hydrogen production facilities, and would be able to fuel 800 hydrogen buses a day.

The joint venture - between N-Gen Energy Solutions Limited (N-Gen), Hygen Energy Holdings and Ryze Hydrogen - will use renewable energy to power an electrolyser which produces green hydrogen.

Hydrogen is seen as an emerging green fuel for vehicles like HGVs, buses and coaches.

A report to the committee said: “The HyBradford Programme is the only production scheme in West Yorkshire and is supported by the (West Yorkshire) Mayor.

“Discussions are taking place with WYCA and bus operators regarding the potential use of the Bowling Back Lane facility to fuel zero emission hydrogen buses. First Bus already operates hydrogen buses in Aberdeen.

“The Council is also looking at opportunities to convert part of our fleet to zero emission fuel cell vehicles and look at opportunities to support the uptake of fuel cell cars (eg taxis).”

At the meeting Andrew Whittles, interim director of sustainability, told members more businesses were investing in hydrogen powered vehicles, and the new Bradford facility was a good pull factor to attract these businesses to the city.

He said: “If you don’t provide facilities for companies looking to de-carbonise, they’ll relocate elsewhere.

“We’re actually hoping businesses will relocate into Bradford because we’ll have this facility.”

He also told the committee that the hydrogen produced at the Bowling Back Lane site could be transported to other hydrogen fuelling facilities.

Last year, a planning application to add a hydrogen fuelling to a proposed petrol filling station on a former car showroom site on Canal Road was approved by Bradford Council.

That application was by Valli Forecourts, and Mr Whittles said schemes such as this one could be linked to the Bowling Back Lane facility.