Work has started on creating a pioneering hydrogen refuelling
station at Teesside International Airport.
The new Element 2 hydrogen refuelling station, near the former St
George Hotel, will refuel all hydrogen road vehicles (trucks,
vans, cars) plus airport vehicles, with both 700 and 350 bar
refuelling.
Now planning permission has been granted, construction work on
the project will be complete this Spring before a period of
installation and commissioning ahead of operations beginning.
The site is part of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport hub,
funded by the UK Government, which will create public hydrogen
refuelling stations across the region.
Element 2, the UK's leading hydrogen refuelling business, is
managing the project, with funding from the UK Government, and
helping to provide the infrastructure needed for the widespread
use of hydrogen as a transport fuel. Element 2 is addressing the
strong and fast-growing demand for hydrogen from heavy goods
vehicles and commercial distribution fleets. Since Element 2's
creation in 2020, it has successfully and safely completed more
than 1,500 refuelling events from its refuelling sites for a
range of blue-chip customers and vehicle types.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We were first out of the
blocks when it came to backing hydrogen – and it's great to see
the groundwork is now paying off with action and results.
“We want to continue to stretch our lead at the forefront of the
cleaner, healthier and safer industries of tomorrow and having
this station at our airport is a huge marker laid down to the
rest of the country.
“The upshot of investing and working on these pioneering
industries is we're at the front of the queue in bringing
hundreds of good, well-paid jobs to our people and our airport in
the years to come.”
Teesside Airport hosted a temporary Element 2 hydrogen refuelling
station and secured low-emission hydrogen fuelled vehicles in
2021 – including cars, truck, forklift, vans and tugs.
The region is also becoming a hotbed for the burgeoning
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry – with the airport also
recently securing a 100% renewable energy
agreement with broker 121 Business Links.
Airport Managing Director Phil Forster added: “We're flying more
people to more destinations, but we're also adding more strings
to our bow at Teesside Airport, with our cargo facility, the
business park, new hangars and our green energy ambitions.
“Securing planning permission for this new Element 2 hydrogen
refuelling station is another key milestone. We're pioneering new
technology at the airport and now we're pioneering clean energy
fuels which will all help to boost our airport.”
James Harris, Element 2 CEO, said: “Element 2 is providing the UK
backbone for hydrogen supply and retail infrastructure for
industrials, Power to Liquid, off-grid and transport demand, and
this pioneering site at Teesside helps to drive and further
strengthen the UK-wide infrastructure that is much needed for
commercial access to hydrogen.
We are excited to work with Teesside International Airport,
Innovate UK and local commercial fleets to achieve this and help
reduce transport emissions in the Tees Valley.”
ENDS
Teesside International Airport:
- Teesside International was originally an important RAF
airfield during the Second World War. Teesside International
began commercial operations as Teesside Airport in the mid-1960s
under local authority control, providing services to both the
local business community and leisure passengers
- Teesside International is situated 10 miles to the west of
Middlesbrough in North East England
- Principle airlines providing services at the Airport include
KLM, Ryanair, TUI and Eastern. KLM provides daily global
connectivity via its Amsterdam Schiphol hub. TUI operates twice
weekly flights to Majorca and Turkey, and Ryanair, Europe's No 1
Airline, offer summer sun with multiple locations across the
Mediterranean, including Malaga in 2025, and all year round to
Spain. An additional programme of holiday charter flights also
operate from the airport.
- The airport returned to public ownership in 2019 and was
renamed in July 2019
- The airport was named UK and Irish Airport of the Year 2023
at the TTG Travel Industry Awards and the UK's Best Small
Airport for Leisure Travel at the 2023 and 2024 British Travel
Awards.
