The emerging hydrogen economy in North Wales needs a pilot project in the regional transport supply chain, according to the Director of Menter Môn, Gerallt Llewelyn Jones.
Speaking on the Menter Môn podcast about the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub, a green hydrogen production facility currently in development on Anglesey, Gerallt said:
“We need to produce a pilot in the regional chain locally. This is something that could be replicated throughout Wales and is happening in parts of Europe and it’s happening in areas of the UK.”
He argued that hydrogen production alone is not enough, with a wider ecosystem needed to ensure local benefit.
“The low carbon agenda needs a mix of technologies for it to be achieved,” he said. “We need a mix of off-takers to make the hub work and we are very keen to ensure that some of those off-takers will be regional and local because that provides us with a great deal more.”
Hydrogen is seen as a complementary solution to battery-electric vehicles, particularly for transport sectors that require long range, heavy payloads or limited downtime, such as logistics, heavy goods, construction, and maintenance fleets.
Pete Fear, Business Development Manager at Hynamics, a partner in the Holyhead project, said the goal now was to support potential users to begin preparing for a low-carbon future.
“We could have this plant operational between 2028 and 29, so that's an available fuel source from that point, which is a really plentiful lead-in time for potential customers to have their fleets ready to adopt that fuel,” he said.
Pete noted that commercial interest in hydrogen is already growing:
“We shouldn't be considering this as some sort of far-off distant tech. It's available and accessible now. It's just up to us through projects like Holyhead to build up the delivery and make this one of the first of many.”
Jordon Cullen, Commercial Manager at ULEMCo Ltd, said that work is already under way to support early adopters.
“Here at ULEMCo we’re able to enable vehicles today to run on hydrogen tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got up to 100 vehicles in the UK currently operating on a hydrogen dual-fuel system.”
He said demand is being driven by the practical benefits for fleet operators.
“Hydrogen refuelling in terms of operations takes five to ten minutes — it's so similar to diesel,” he said. “That means the vehicle can be operational for longer.”
Gareth Rogers, Energy and Net Zero Project Manager at Ambition North Wales, said the Holyhead project also provides a model for local ownership.
“We don’t just need to wait for the private sector,” he said. “Local community organisations and social enterprises like Menter Môn can take a lead or form partnerships.”
With planning consent in place and industry engagement under way, the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub is seen by its backers as a critical step towards a practical, regional hydrogen supply chain, and they called on government and industry to move in parallel to support both fuel production and end-use.
Listen to the Menter Môn podcast on The Role of Hydrogen in Decarbonising Transport here.
