The sites are all in prime industrial areas spread strategically across the North and South and will each accommodate both a large refuelling station – for light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles with onsite hydrogen production, to serve the urban areas of Greater Liverpool, Greater Manchester, the London area, and the Thames Estuary – and a larger hydrogen production site of between 20MW and 40 MW, for a total for the four sites of between 80 MW and 160 MW.

It is anticipated that the target sites will qualify for UK government financial support for both the development and construction phases to deliver vital capacity pursuant to the 10 GW of domestic hydrogen production ambition, of which 5 GW will be green, as recently announced in the government’s UK Energy Security Strategy.

The production facilities, once built, will serve customers of First Hydrogen’s Automotive division. First Hydrogen's green hydrogen van is to begin demonstrator testing in June with final delivery for road use in September 2022. The company’s strategy is to secure a domestic supply of fixed-price, long-term green hydrogen fuel and distribution arrangements, with such customers. This will form part of its offering to fleet operators of a full hydrogen mobility service for light commercial vehicles and supply First Hydrogen’s mobile Hydrogen refuelling stations with green Hydrogen. First Hydrogen expects to make further announcements regarding the advancement of such projects as they develop.

Nicholas Wrigley, Chairman of the First Hydrogen Group, said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that customers of hydrogen light commercial vehicles will also need to ensure a reliable supply of green hydrogen for their businesses. We have made significant progress in identifying and securing the first four sites which First Hydrogen will be using for both hydrogen production and distribution, and which we would expect will form part of the Government’s overall hydrogen strategy.”