Hydrogen Production Facility at Gordonbush Wind Farm

SSE Renewables has submitted a screening request to The Highland Council to consider plans for a proposed Hydrogen Production Facility, which would be co-located at Gordonbush Wind Farm, 2km north-west of Brora.

Important Documents

The application documents can be found on this webpage, via the following links, or on the Highland Councils e-Planning Portal website here, using the application reference numbers noted below.

The Proposed Development

The proposed development comprises a green hydrogen production facility. This would be located within the existing infrastructure of Gordonbush Wind Farm.

At this stage, the detailed design has not been fully developed and a level of refinement of the scheme is expected prior to submission of the planning application.

Green Hydrogen Facility

The proposed facility would produce around 1,300 tonnes of Green Hydrogen, by splitting the elements of water (H2O) into the component parts of Hydrogen and Oxygen, using a process called Electrolysis.

Under the new plans, the Green Hydrogen would be produced by SSE Renewables at Gordonbush wind farm using Siemens Gamesa’s Renewable Hydrogen Upgrade solution.

The initial indicative layout can be viewed here and would involve the following infrastructure:

• modular electrolysis units;
• fixed Hydrogen storage;
• hydrogen storage tube trailers;
• auxiliary process plant;
• dispenser units to fill the tube trailers;
• infrastructure for water supply and treatment;
• internal access roads;
• foundations and hardstandings (including construction of site drainage);
• perimeter security fencing; and
• security lighting.

The platform would reuse the existing infrastructure wherever possible, including the existing access tracks.

During peak production of the scheme, it is anticipated that approximately 8 tonnes of green hydrogen would be produced per day.

Battery Energy Storage Site (BESS)

As part of the ongoing development of the proposed project at Gordonbush, we have determined a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is not required for the Hydrogen project and has therefore been withdrawn from the proposal.

Safety

Safety lies at the heart of SSE Renewables. Keeping the public safe and making sure that everyone working for us gets home safely at the end of their day takes precedence over everything we do. We do everything safely and responsibly or not at all. The production and storage of hydrogen is closely regulated to ensure high levels of safety are adhered to at all times. This is through the design, installation, operations and transportation processes.

As part of our carefully considered proposals, we have submitted an application for a Hazardous Substance Consent from the Hazardous Substance Authority (HSA) which, similar to a planning consent, is required for both the production and storage of hydrogen.

During this application the HSA will liaise with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and The Highland Council, to consider the hazards and risks which the development may present to the surrounding area and consider the proposed development location.

In addition to this, we have also submitted notification for Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) to obtain a COMAH License. These regulations ensure continuously high safety standards are adhered to when undertaking the production and storage of hydrogen. This application will determine whether our safety measures meet the COMAH regulations sufficiently during the construction and operation of the facility.

Community Investment

SSE Renewables is a proud member of the communities in East Sutherland area as a developer, constructor and operator of important assets across the region.

Since 2011, the SSE Renewables Gordonbush Community Fund has awarded over £2 million in
grants for various initiatives across the East Sutherland area.

Through the years, the Gordonbush Community Fund and Gordonbush Extension Community Fund have supported initiatives aimed at improving skills and training opportunities, social care, and sustainable tourism.

You can find more information on the Gordonbush Community Fund here.