August 07, 2025 [New Civil Engineer]- A new £200M hydrogen production facility using residual waste is set to be built at the Tilbury Tax Site within the Thames Freeport.

The project, delivered by Chinook Hydrogen and backed by Middle Eastern investors, aims to produce up to 12t of carbon-negative hydrogen a day for road transport and industrial use.

The plant, which could be operational by 2028, will convert waste that would otherwise go to landfill into low-carbon hydrogen, cutting more than 50,000t of carbon dioxide emissions annually. It will also reduce methane emissions typically released from decomposing landfill waste, contributing further to climate goals. The facility’s innovative modular gasification technology has been designed to avoid major hazard regulations, streamlining its approval process.

This investment marks the first phase of a broader £1bn plan to establish a national corridor of green hydrogen production sites across the UK’s road network. The corridor aims to support decarbonisation efforts for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), light goods vehicles (LGVs) and cars, facilitating the rollout of hydrogen refuelling stations and ultra-fast hydrogen chargers. A related project in Doncaster will develop a 5t-per-day hydrogen-from-waste facility, incorporating off-grid ultra-fast EV hydrogen superchargers.

Chinook Hydrogen anticipates creating over 150 skilled jobs in engineering, logistics, operations and clean technology, offering a boost to local employment at the Tilbury and Doncaster sites. The move aligns with government strategies to foster clean industrial growth while reducing reliance on fossil fuels in freight and transport sectors, which remain significant sources of UK emissions.

As the UK pushes towards its legally binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, developing a domestic hydrogen production capacity is seen as vital for heavy transport and industry – sectors that are harder to electrify fully. This latest investment underlines growing confidence in hydrogen’s potential role in the energy transition and the burgeoning green economy.

The Thames Freeport site, located on the north bank of the River Thames east of London, is one of several designated freeports across the country aiming to attract investment by offering tariff advantages and simplified customs procedures to stimulate regional economic growth. This hydrogen project adds a significant sustainable energy dimension to the area’s development plans.