Johnson Matthey (JM) and bp have signed a licensing and engineering agreement for Johnson Matthey’s LCH technology at bp’s proposed flagship low-carbon (blue) H₂ facility in Teesside, H2Teesside. Industry in the Tees Valley accounts for 64% of total local CO₂ emissions, compared to 24% nationally. H2Teesside would help power and decarbonize local industry here, as well as new businesses attracted to this low-carbon H₂ produced at scale.

Due to its proximity to domestically sourced North Sea natural gas, established pipe corridors, and planned carbon capture transportation and storage infrastructure that is being developed by the bp-led Northern Endurance Partnership, the area is uniquely placed for H2Teesside to help lead a low carbon transformation, supporting jobs, regeneration, and the revitalization of the surrounding area.

H2Teesside will use JM’s innovative LCH technology, which couples a gas-heated reformer with an autothermal reformer (GHR-ATR). LCH offers the lowest natural gas usage commercially available today and can capture up to 99% of carbon dioxide produced. This means for H2Teesside it would deliver the lowest levelized cost of H₂ (LCOH) and the most carbon efficient technology available today for low-carbon (blue) H₂ production.

H2Teesside, alongside NZT Power and BOC Teesside H₂, was selected by the UK Government as Track-1 Capture Projects to proceed to negotiations for government funding from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ), for the East Coast Cluster as part of Phase 2 of the cluster sequencing process for CCUS.

Alberto Giovanzana, Managing Director – CT Licensing at Johnson Matthey, said, “bp’s H2Teesside project will be at the forefront of the UK’s efforts to decarbonize, and we’re proud JM’s innovative LCH technology will be at the heart of it. We championed the use of low-carbon (blue) H₂ as a part of our efforts to achieve net zero emissions and have proven ourselves as a trusted partner with this license representing our fifth major LCH project globally.”

Will Harrison-Cripps, H2Teesside Asset Development Lead at bp, said, “H2Teesside, which aims to be one of the first low-carbon H₂ production facilities in the UK, is a key part of our plans to help Teesside transform into the UK’s leading H₂ hub, providing a diverse range of customers with low-carbon H₂ produced at scale. We are pleased to be working with Johnson Matthey, using their innovative technology to accelerate the pace of H₂ deployment as we work towards commercial operations in 2028 and supporting the East Coast Cluster decarbonize a range of industries in Teesside.”