Gigastack, the UK’s flagship renewable hydrogen project, will demonstrate that renewable hydrogen is essential to the UK’s 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emission target and the decarbonisation of large industrial clusters. Accelerating the uptake of renewable hydrogen through Gigastack is vital and will facilitate the development of a UK renewable hydrogen technology hub as well as the creation of a world-leading supply chain and highly skilled jobs across the sector.

What is Gigastack?

Gigastack is an ambitious multiphase programme to prove economically viable renewable hydrogen at scale and demonstrate the full decarbonisation potential of offshore wind in the UK’s largest industrial cluster by:

  • Developing electrolyser technology to produce renewable hydrogen at large-scale
  • Coupling one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world with the largest carbon emitting industrial zone in the UK on a pathway to net zero
  • Decarbonising large industrial clusters through collaboration

How will it work?

Click the hotspots to find out more about the different elements of Gigastack

Renewable electricity splits water into oxygen and renewable hydrogen.

Ørsted’s Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm connects to the UK’s electricity grid at this substation

The Phillips 66 Humber Refinery will use renewable hydrogen, reducing CO2 emissions

Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm generates renewable electricity

Project timeline

There are four high-level phases to the Gigastack programme that will take the concept from the feasibility stage to the build and supply stage in the mid-2020s.

Phase 1

2019: Phase 1, Feasibility Study (Complete)

  • Initial feasibility study funded as part of BEIS’ Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply Competition
  • ITM Power developed designs for a low-cost modular 5-megawatt (MW) electrolyser “stack”
  • Ørsted and Element Energy explored electrolyser-wind farm synergies to access low-cost renewable hydrogen production
  • Element Energy undertook market analysis and explored business models for 100MW electrolysis

Phase 2

2020 - 2021: Phase 2, First Phase of FEED Study & Stack Development (Complete)

  • The First Phase of the FEED Study was funded by Phase 2 of BEIS’ Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply Competition.
  • ITM Power progressed both its next generation of electrolyser technology and production processes.
  • ITM Power moved into its new Gigafactory in Bessemer Park, Sheffield, now the world’s largest electrolyser production facility.
  • Ørsted and Phillips 66 have (i) developed the technical design for an industry-scale renewable hydrogen facility in Immingham, (ii) explored the current policy and regulatory landscape, (iii) identified barriers to developing industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production facilities, with potential solutions identified and (iv) developed a business case to map a pathway to an investable proposition.
  • The Gigastack consortium has identified a pathway to a final investment decision by Q2 2023 and a commercial operating date by the end of 2025, subject to a supportive policy environment.

Phase 3

2022-2023: Phase 3, Second Phase of FEED Study and FID

  • The Gigastack Consortium is now focused on reaching Final Investment Decision by Q2 2023 to progress with the procurement and build phase, subject to appropriate Government support being available.
  • This is focussed on the Second Phase of the FEED Study (i.e. permitting and CAPEX reduction initiatives) and engagement with BEIS.

Phase 4

2023-2025: Phase 3, Build and Connection

  • The Final Investment Decision will enable the rapid deployment of the Gigastack project, with commercial operation by the end of 2025.
  • Gigastack can act as a blueprint for deploying large-scale electrolyser technology across the UK for wider decarbonisation.
  • Gigastack will enable export of UK designed and built electrolyser equipment to large scale hydrogen projects around the world.