The 30-megawatt (MW) Barrow Green Hydrogen project in Cumbria, United Kingdom, has reached its final investment decision (FID), marking a major milestone for the development of green hydrogen infrastructure in the region.
Global hydrogen solutions provider Plug Power will supply the electrolyzers for the facility, which is being developed in Barrow-in-Furness, Indian Chemical News reported.
The project is being delivered by Green Hydrogen Energy Company (GHECO), a joint venture formed in 2023 by Schroders Greencoat and Carlton Power. The partnership was established to advance large-scale green hydrogen projects across the UK.
Valued at £125 million, the Barrow Green Hydrogen project is expected to supply up to 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of green hydrogen annually to the local manufacturing facility operated by Kimberly-Clark. The hydrogen will replace up to 50 percent of the plant’s natural gas consumption, helping reduce carbon emissions by around 18,300 tonnes each year while supporting the production of consumer products such as Kleenex and Andrex.
Under the finalized agreement, Plug Power will provide 30 MW of its GenEco Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer technology. The facility will utilize six 5 MW Plug GenEco PEM electrolyzers powered by renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen.
The Barrow project was originally announced as part of Plug Power’s contract to supply a combined 55 MW of GenEco electrolyzers across three UK green hydrogen developments—Barrow, Trafford and Langage.
With the final investment decision now secured, Barrow becomes the first of GHECO’s three planned hydrogen projects to enter the execution stage. The Trafford and Langage projects continue to advance toward their respective investment decisions.
Together, the three developments are expected to support industrial decarbonization, strengthen energy security and contribute to the United Kingdom’s low-carbon hydrogen strategy.
All three projects have received support under the UK Government’s Hydrogen Business Model through the Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 (HAR1) program. Once operational, the Barrow-in-Furness facility is expected to play a significant role in expanding the hydrogen economy across North-West England.
