FuelCell Energy, Inc. has been contracted by EDF Energy for a project exploring the viability of using hydrogen to decarbonize asphalt production. The Bay Hydrogen Hub consortium, which is made up of EDF, Heidelberg UK, the National Nuclear Laboratory, and Vulcan Burners, proposes combining the use of FuelCell Energy?s 1-Megawatt Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) with nuclear generated heat and electricity to produce hydrogen in bulk at a lower cost than other hydrogen electrolysis technologies. FuelCell Energy?s electrolyzer will be analyzed for use at the Nuclear Power Plant in Heysham (Northwest England) as part of the Bay Hydrogen Hub project, which endeavors to decarbonize the asphalt industry by distributing that hydrogen via high volume tankers to dispersed sites.

The UK?s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced £6.1 million ($7.4 million) for the Bay Hydrogen Hub scheme, a figure that will be matched by the project partners. The funding is from the UK government?s £1 billion ($1.2 billion) Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which provides funding for low-carbon technologies and systems. Over the coming months, the project partners will develop the site design for integrating FCE?s electrolyzer system into the overall hydrogen generation and compression station, and scope and estimate the work required at Heysham to move the project forward. Once this work concludes, a decision on the future of the project will be made.