German utility Uniper has outlined plans to develop a large-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plant at the site of its coal-fired Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire in England’s East Midlands region.

The existing Ratcliffe plant, which was commissioned in the late 1960s and has a nameplate capacity of about 2GW, is due to cease operations in September 2024.

Uniper’s plan for the site involves the commissioning of 100MW of electrolysers in the second half of the 2020s and up to 500MW by the turn of the decade.

The project is subject to FID as well as other pre-conditions, including planning consents and environmental permits, offtake agreements and UK government support. In July, Rushcliffe Borough Council granted outline planning permission for specific types of development, including low-carbon energy production at the Ratcliffe site.

500MW – Potential electrolyser capacity

“Ratcliffe is in a great location, with good transport links and excellent utilities infrastructure,” said Guy Phillips, Uniper’s team lead for hydrogen business development in the UK. “It has the potential to support the UK’s hydrogen and decarbonisation ambitions, creating new high-skilled employment opportunities and ensuring the site continues to make a valuable contribution to the regional economy.”

The potential project at Ratcliffe will draw on Uniper’s experience developing the H2 Maasvlakte project in Rotterdam, where the company plans to install 500MW of electrolysers by 2030. Uniper aims to deploy more than 1GW of electrolyser capacity across its business by the same date. The company was plunged into a financial crisis in 2022 because of huge losses caused by the cessation of German natural gas imports from Russia. A rescue package resulted in the company becoming majority-owned by the German government.

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Author: Stuart Penson