Hazardous substance permission sought for pioneering green hydrogen production facility in Ayrshire
An application to allow the production and storage of volatile hydrogen and other fuels at Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project has been lodged.
ScottishPower has applied for hazardous substances consent to operate a green hydrogen facility at the site, which is home to the largest wind farm in the UK.
The proposed development involves producing hydrogen through the electrolysis of water using power from the adjacent wind and solar farms, then storing and transporting it in specialised high-pressure trailers.
The application outlines the storage and handling of several controlled substances, including up to 4 tonnes of hydrogen, 1.3 tonnes of diesel, and 0.24 tonnes of sodium hypochlorite, all of which are subject to strict regulations under hazardous materials law.
Hydrogen will be created by splitting demineralised water using two 5MW electrolyser trains, with the gas compressed, dried, and stored in a series of mobile tube trailers.
These will be used to export the hydrogen via road, with up to six heavy goods vehicle (HGV) movements per day expected.
According to the application, safety has been a major consideration in the site's layout and risk assessments.
The hydrogen facility will be located more than a kilometre from any public areas, including the B764.
The company says that around 10 permanent staff are expected to work at the hydrogen site, in addition to occasional workers at the co-located solar and wind farms.
ScottishPower confirmed the site will operate to 'Lower Tier' standards under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations, even though the facility currently does not meet the threshold requiring full COMAH classification.
The company has committed to rigorous risk assessments, including blast and fire impact modelling, and plans to install venting systems, CCTV, fencing, and potential protective structures like blast walls.
The project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) considered peat depth, drainage, flood risk, and the effect on local watercourses.
The hydrogen facility is sited in an area with shallower peat, minimising habitat disruption. Treated water will be discharged to local streams under SEPA-regulated conditions, and a PPC (Pollution Prevention and Control) permit is being pursued.
Peat probing, flood modelling, and a 12-month water monitoring programme are already underway, and measures to handle oily water and control surface run-off have been outlined.
The hazardous substances consent application is an early but crucial step in progressing the wider Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project, which aims to become one of the UK's first large-scale green hydrogen production facilities directly powered by renewable energy.
A broad application for the facility was made in 2021, with a view to having it up and running by the end of 2023.
However, Scottish Ministers opted to 'call in' the application, viewing the project as nationally significant in relation to policies on hydrogen production and net zero.
The application was eventually approved in January and has been followed up with planning applications for an associated pipeline and this application for hazardous material consent.
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Hazardous substance permission sought for pioneering green hydrogen production facility in Ayrshire
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