Galway is set to become the destination for Ireland's first Hydrogen Valley as details of the Galway Hydrogen Hub (GH2) were unveiled.

GH2 is a consortium consisting of seven members - NUI Galway, the Port of Galway, CIÉ Group and Bus Éireann, Aran Islands Ferries, Lasta Mara Teo, Aer Arann Islands, and SSE Renewables.

GH2's proposal is to develop a Hydrogen Valley in the Galway region, similar to those launched in other European countries. A Hydrogen Valley is a regional ecosystem that links hydrogen research, production, distribution, and transportation with various end users such as transport and industry. The utilisation of indigenous green hydrogen at Hydrogen Valleys is considered an important step towards enabling the development of a new hydrogen economy.

Speaking at a launch event in NUI Galway, Lorcan O'Connor, Group Chief Executive, CIÉ said: "As the CIÉ Group is by far the country's largest public transport provider, we are delighted to work with our partners in this consortium to officially launch the Galway Hydrogen Hub. This will ensure that we are at the forefront of the opportunity hydrogen fuel will provide in meeting both our own decarbonisation targets, and those of the State. It will ensure we have explored a complementary mix of zero emissions technologies, with the current focus on electrification, to power low carbon transport and meet our 2030 targets and net zero target by 2050. What we develop and learn in this innovative partnership in Galway could be transformative for sustainability in the transport sector as a whole."

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The GH2 consortium's intention is to develop an initial flagship demonstrator project at The Port of Galway, for the indigenous production and supply of clean green hydrogen fuel for public and private vehicles. The GH2 project preferred connection point to the national grid is at the Galway 110kV grid substation and will powered by green energy through a renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement with SSE, backed up by a guarantee of origin. The green hydrogen produced at GH2 project will then be distributed for use by buses and trucks initially, and then extending to maritime and aviation, to deliver a multi-modal, zero emission, green hydrogen transport hub that can be easily replicated across Ireland.

The intended hydrogen transport hub could be expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024 and this announcement marks a significant development in the potential for the production and delivery of indigenous renewable fuel for both the domestic and export markets. This would demonstrate Ireland's potential as a major producer and potential exporter of hydrogen.

John O'Sullivan, SSE Renewables' Project Manager for GH2 commented: "Today is a key milestone for the GH2 consortium as we officially launch the Galway Hydrogen Hub. Our consortium has come together with the objective of not only using green hydrogen to realise new renewable energy solutions for Ireland but to also deliver the country's first Hydrogen Valley. Green hydrogen is gaining global recognition as a means of decarbonising heavy duty and long-distance transport as well as industry. The development of Ireland's first Hydrogen Valley in Galway Harbour will allow us to utilise indigenous renewable energy to produce green hydrogen for use by local road, air, sea, and rail transport alongside industry. As part of the integrated SSE Group, SSE Renewables has a view across the whole energy value chain and so is uniquely positioned to deliver this green hydrogen solution for the consortium, helping to kickstart the development of a new hydrogen economy in the West of Ireland."

The development of the country's first Hydrogen Valley is another step forward in positioning Ireland at the strategic centre of renewable energy generation and energy sector integration. Green hydrogen can provide security of energy supply, assist in countering long-term energy price fluctuation, and make a significant contribution to reducing Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonising the transport sector.