E-FUEL AND HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
E-fuels and green hydrogen, produced in the UK
HYRO develops green hydrogen production facilities in the UK, managing the development process so that projects reach financial close and deliver e-fuels and green hydrogen at commercial scale.
What are e-fuels and green hydrogen and how are they produced?
Green hydrogen is produced using electrolysis: Renewable electricity is used to split water molecules (H₂O) into hydrogen and oxygen, producing a zero-carbon energy carrier with no direct greenhouse gas emissions.
This distinguishes green hydrogen from grey hydrogen, the dominant industrial form, produced via steam methane reforming of natural gas, which generates significant CO₂ emissions. Blue hydrogen uses the same steam methane reforming process with carbon capture. Green hydrogen produced via electrolysis is the pathway that eliminates fossil fuel dependency entirely.
Green hydrogen can be used to directly replace grey hydrogen as a chemical feedstock or in industrial applications that require high heat or high energy density.
For applications that require renewable liquid fuels, HYRO converts green hydrogen into e-fuels. E-fuels are synthetic fuels produced by combining green hydrogen with captured CO₂ in a synthesis reactor. Depending on the synthesis pathway, this can yield Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as a drop-in aviation fuel, e-methanol for maritime applications, or other synthetic hydrocarbons, e.g., diesel.
E-methanol can also be used directly as a platform molecule (replacing grey methanol) to produce plastics and polymers, fuel products, resins, adhesives, solvents and other speciality chemicals.
HYRO develops both e-fuels and green hydrogen projects.
Hydrogen production
E-fuel production
Splitting water into hydrogen
Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis. Renewable electricity passes through an electrolyser, splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Because the electricity source is renewable, no greenhouse gas emissions are produced in the process. The produced hydrogen is a zero-carbon energy carrier that can be used directly or converted into e-fuels.
Green hydrogen can replace fossil-based grey hydrogen, which is dominant in industry today. Grey hydrogen is produced via steam methane reforming of natural gas and generates significant CO₂ emissions.
Sustainable fuels produced from renewable electricity
HYRO produces e-fuels and hydrogen using time-matched renewable electricity – electricity which is linked to a renewable asset and consumed at the time of production. The UK and EU have implemented strict regulations to ensure e-fuels and green hydrogen are renewable and low-carbon.
For fuels produced and used in the UK, HYRO complies with the UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard (LCHS) or other relevant UK regulation.
For fuels produced in the UK and sold in the EU, HYRO complies with both the UK’s LCHS, and the EU’s RFNBO regulations, which requires new renewable power assets to be built to power HYRO’s projects.
Where possible, HYRO uses onsite wind or solar power, reducing load on the UK’s grid.
Combining hydrogen with captured renewable CO₂
HYRO’s e-fuels projects combine CO2 with green hydrogen to produce renewable liquid e-fuels. There are strict rules on the origin and sustainability of the CO₂ used to produce the e-fuel.
HYRO uses CO₂ captured from biogenic sources to produce e-fuels. This approach enables the production of truly sustainable fuels and results in the installation of carbon capture projects across the UK. HYRO’s projects comply with the EU’s RFNBO and the UK’s RTFO regulations on CO₂ sourcing, depending on the end consumer.
UK Energy Resilience and Local Growth
HYRO’s projects contribute to the energy resilience by using local feedstocks and supply chains to produce e-fuels in the UK. Direct electrification should be prioritised where possible, with e-fuels and hydrogen used for industries that cannot be electrified.
HYRO’s e-fuel and hydrogen facilities can provide other grid services to the UK. For example, by turning down production at times of high demand and producing when excess power is available. HYRO’s proprietary software Hydra can commercially optimise the daily operation of the facility for these services.
Because HYRO sites its projects in mostly industrial areas or clusters, we actively contribute to local and regional growth in areas of the UK that are in most need of the investments, creating direct and indirect jobs.
The UK policy landscape
The UK Government has established the Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM) to support commercial-scale green hydrogen production. Delivered through Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs), the mechanism provides revenue support that bridges the cost gap between green hydrogen and natural gas — giving producers the certainty required to attract investment.
HYRO was shortlisted in both HAR1 and HAR2. Project Northfleet is one of the first HAR1 projects to have reached financial close.
The UK Government is also launching the SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism to support advanced SAF production in the UK, including e-SAF. Similarly to the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds, the SAF RCM bridges the cost between an agreed strike price and the non-HEFA SAF market price. The SAF RCM is expected to help e-SAF project reach final investment decisions in the UK.
HYRO is developing projects for submission into the SAF RCM.
Interested in developing an e-fuels or hydrogen production project in the UK? We’d like to hear from you.
A track record of delivery
Project Northfleet
Project Northfleet is HYRO’s flagship project, one of the first UK green hydrogen projects to have taken Financial Close under the UK Government’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 1. Project Northfleet remains on track to meet its Commercial Operation Date.
