Hydrogen project at Orkney distillery secures funding for study

The UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will support a project that aims to decarbonise the distilling process at The Orkney Distillery through the use of hydrogen as a fuel.

The BEIS has awarded GBP 148,600 (USD 181,500/EUR 163,900) in funding to the so-called HySpirits project as part of the second phase of the Industrial Fuels Switching Competition.

The parties behind the said project, namely the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Orkney Distilling Ltd and the Edinburgh Napier University, will use the funds to conduct a feasibility study into the development of the needed technology. More specifically, the trio will investigate the development of a thermal fluid heater system that uses green hydrogen derived from local renewables, rather than fossil fuels such as kerosene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG).

The Edinburgh Napier University’s task is to assess the distillery site and develop the hydrogen system design and specification.

“This innovative project from HySprits/EMEC will help our efforts to roll out hydrogen at scale by the 2030s – a crucial step towards the end of the UK’s contribution to global warming,” commented Lord Duncan, Climate Change Minister.

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.221/EUR 1.103)

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