Black & Veatch has finalized a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for ScottishPower’s Whitelee Green Hydrogen Project, which aims to produce renewable hydrogen using electricity from the UK’s largest onshore wind farm.
The project, located approximately 15 miles south of Glasgow, will use proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis powered by the 539-megawatt Whitelee wind farm to generate green hydrogen. The first phase of the initiative includes 10 megawatts (MW) of electrolysis capacity, supported through the UK government’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 (HAR1) funding scheme.
The hydrogen produced is intended for use in transportation and industrial sectors, contributing to the UK’s broader net-zero emissions targets. A potential second phase, also involving 10MW of capacity, has been shortlisted for funding under the government’s Hydrogen Allocation Round 2 (HAR2).
Black & Veatch’s FEED work includes the full balance of plant scope, incorporating hydrogen compression systems and a tube-trailer dispensing station, in addition to the design of the electrolyser package.
“ScottishPower develops green hydrogen responsibly and we selected Black & Veatch because of their decades of experience in hydrogen and strong commitment to safety,” said Mark Bradley, hydrogen director at ScottishPower Green Hydrogen Limited. “We take a holistic development approach, consulting with local stakeholders to ensure we are able to successfully develop low-carbon sources of energy for our customers.”
The Whitelee project is among several hydrogen-related initiatives supported by Black & Veatch, which has completed more than 200 front-end loading studies globally. The company is also involved in the Advanced Clean Energy Storage I project in Utah, a major green hydrogen hub in the United States.
“Our clients entrust us to help engineer and deploy innovative, bankable green hydrogen energy infrastructure to transition them to lower carbon solutions,” said Youssef Merjaneh, senior vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Black & Veatch. “This innovative project will produce green hydrogen from adjacent onshore wind as part of the UK government’s HAR funding programme, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the ScottishPower team.”
The development reflects ongoing efforts to expand the UK’s green hydrogen capacity and support the energy transition through infrastructure backed by both public and private sector investment.
