The Net Zero Technology Centre has been awarded £16.5mn in funding to accelerate a range of energy transition projects to deliver a net zero economy in Scotland.
On 6 August, the Scottish government announced seven projects, set to be delivered through the centre’s Net Zero Technology Transition Programme (NZTTP), will receive backing are focused on emissions reductions and transforming the North Sea energy system. The NZTTP is set to deliver £403bn for the economy and 21,000 jobs by 2050.
The funding for the projects – two of which include hydrogen – will be provided through the Scottish government’s £62mn Energy Transition Fund and matched by industry.
With energy hubs where gigawatt-scale low carbon hydrogen can be produced and integrated with Scotland’s offshore wind resource set to be crucial, £2.8mn – rising to £5.6mn when matched by industry – is to support a project aiming to address the common challenges and opportunities energy hub projects across Scotland will face. Elsewhere, a collective £3.2mn will support a Hydrogen Backbone Link project, seeking to unlock Scotland’s hydrogen export potential by developing pan-European infrastructure, including the repurposing of existing pipelines.
Other projects to receive backing include £4.6mn for “Alternative Fuel Gas Turbines”, a project developing a low carbon alternative to natural gas to help decarbonise offshore and onshore operations without extensive modifications; £9.6mn to build a best-in-class offshore Industrial Robots and Autonomous System; and £4.9mn to enable industry to employ remote operations technology and optimise future offshore working environments.
