JCB. The world-renowned construction equipment manufacturing firm, has reportedly announced that it has signed a new multibillion-pound deal that would see it import and supply ‘green’ hydrogen; hydrogen generated using renewable energy, from Australia into the UK.
According to reports, with the pivotal Cop26 climate conference currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland, the firm unveiled the deal with Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), a green energy and product enterprise based out of Australia.
The deal would supposedly allow JCB to start selling truly ‘green’ hydrogen gas through Ryze Hydrogen, its specialist division, starting early next year.
For the uninitiated, when burned, hydrogen does not make carbon dioxide, and as such, is considered a viable alternate energy source for heavy industries, especially as global economies seek to wean themselves off of fossil fuels.
Hydrogen already fuels commuter buses across a plethora of countries; including the UK; and could potentially power trains, trucks, along with other high energy-consuming locomotives; including aircraft; fields that are presently seen as difficult to decarbonize.
The green hydrogen produced by FFI is made from 100% clean, renewable sources of energy. However, it still requires a substantial amount of energy to produce.
Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB, whose firm ‘Wrightbus’ developed the first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus in the world, stated that the deal was a crucial step forward in getting cleaner, and greener energy to the company’s commercial customers.
Andrew Forrest, chairman of FFI, stated that the deal would allow the UK to achieve its ambitious net zero emission targets, especially in difficult-to-electrify industry verticals. Forrest added that the greenhouse gas emissions reduction associated with the replacement of fossil fuel with just 2 million tons of green hydrogen is akin to taking more than 8 million vehicles off the road; which is almost 25% of the UK’s total fleet.
Reports cite, the exact financial dealings of the said green hydrogen deal between the two enterprises have not been made public yet.
Source credit: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/31/jcb-signs-deal-to-import-hydrogen-from-australia-to-uk