Bradford hydrogen energy hub plans approved

The Birkshall site was previously home to two huge gas holders

Plans have been approved to build one of the country's biggest hydrogen refuelling stations in Bradford.

The facility at the Birkshall gas storage site on Bowling Back Lane will have the capacity to produce about 12.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day.

Operator Hygen said the site could achieve the decarbonisation equivalent of removing 800 diesel-fuelled buses a day from West Yorkshire's roads.

The development is expected to be completed by 2025.

Hygen director Jamie Burns said the HyBradford facility would "provide enormous benefits to the people of Bradford".

The project, which has received millions in government funding, is a partnership between Hygen and N-GEN and was approved by Bradford Council this week, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The facility "will provide enormous benefits to the people of Bradford", Hygen says

Hydrogen is increasingly seen as a greener way of fuelling larger vehicles such as HGVs, buses and coaches.

Gareth Mills, managing director at N-Gen, said: "We are extremely proud to be bringing a flagship hydrogen production facility and significant investment to Bradford.

"We expect the facility to be a valuable addition to the Bradford economy, providing a viable way for local businesses to decarbonise, as well as attracting new companies and jobs to the area, by placing the city at the forefront of the transition to clean energy."

Businesses and other users will be able to use refuelling facilities at the site when it opens.