Hanson secures funding for world-first hydrogen powered asphalt demonstrator

Mineral-based construction products giant Hanson has secured almost £400,000 from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) industrial hydrogen accelerator programme.

The project is part of a programme to develop a hydrogen hub at EDF’s Heysham nuclear power station in Morecambe for potential industrial and transport applications. Hanson says the demonstrator programme could be rolled out to decarbonise several of its asphalt production sites around the UK.

The Bay Hydrogen Hub – Hydrogen4Hanson project funding is through the EDF UK R&D centre which is investigating the potential of using nuclear power in hydrogen production and allied technologies that will allow industrial sites to transition to hydrogen.

Hanson UK sustainability director Marian Garfield said, “The use of hydrogen as a fuel at asphalt sites has not yet been physically demonstrated anywhere in the world so we are delighted to once again be leading the way with new technologies that have the potential to significantly cut carbon emissions across our industry.”

It is hoped that the project will prove to be a step towards the decarbonisation of both the asphalt and cement industries.