With the final report from the Gigastack Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study just around the corner, ITM Power has put together a glimpse at the future with a virtual tour of what a Gigastack facility could look like.

The Gigastack project aims to create a blueprint for the deployment of industry-scale renewable hydrogen from offshore wind, and this is the first visualization of what a renewable hydrogen plant could look like in the Humber – brought together based on work carried out through the FEED study, which will ultimately help turn this “virtual” vision into a reality.

The FEED study has enabled the partners – ITM Power, Ørsted, Phillips 66 and Element Energy - to gain valuable, in-depth knowledge of what is required to construct a hydrogen electrolysis facility at scale and the challenges that lie ahead.

Several “real-life” challenges have been uncovered and now de-risked, such as:

• Accessing a water supply in an industrial area
• Integrating into a high voltage electrical substation a few miles away
• Integrating pipework into an operational refinery
• Planning and permitting for a “first-of-its-kind” renewable hydrogen project

In addition, the current regulatory landscape has been explored, as it is vital to design a framework that can help renewable hydrogen reach its true potential and with the flexibility required for a rapidly evolving market. Therefore, close working between Gigastack’s technical and commercial teams has been critical in gaining the insights needed to identify and address potential obstacles - at the same time as developing the best possible technical solution.

This close collaboration within the project has also helped the team to recognize the key focus areas for the next phase of project development. With a strong technical concept ready to take to a detailed design phase, the learning from the Gigastack FEED study can be used to continue the Humber decarbonization journey - but crucially can also provide a strong foundation for all energy integration projects that will be critical to the UK achieving its net-zero targets.