The Scottish government has launched a £62mn Energy Transition Fund that has positioning North East Scotland as a hydrogen model region as one of its principal aims.
Launched on 12 June, the multi-million pound fund will support businesses in the oil, gas and energy sectors over the next five years as they grow and diversify. The fund will have a focus on the North East, underpinning the region’s ambitions to become a world leader in the transition to net zero and enable Scotland to hit its ambitious climate targets. This will include positioning North East Scotland as a hydrogen model region.
This will see early funding given to projects such as ACORN Hydrogen, located at the St Fergus gas terminal which is aiming to produce hydrogen from natural gas and the linked ACORN CCS project, which will capture and store CO2 safely and permanently in North Sea reservoirs. It will also support the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub, which represents an opportunity to use green hydrogen in the transport sector.
Scottish Economy Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “It is vital we move quickly to seize the opportunity to take forward a green, low-carbon recovery and support the workforce as the energy sector diversifies. Now is an opportune time to re-imagine the Scotland around us and to begin building a greener, fairer and more equal society and economy focused on wellbeing.”