In his latest column, Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds talks about a recent visit to a Sheffield company which is one of the world leaders in green hydrogen.

One of the things I like best about my job as Shadow Business Secretary is that it gives me licence to visit any firm and workplace in the country. 

Last week, taking advantage of being at home over Easter, I drove over the Woodhead Pass to Sheffield to visit a company so exciting it could fundamentally change the UK’s competitiveness, energy security and carbon footprint.

ITM Power in Sheffield are one of the world leaders in green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is made from renewable energy and is a net zero alternative to natural gas that we could use in industry, transport and domestic heating. ITM Power manufacture the electrolysers that make green hydrogen, meaning that a factory can install one of them and then make the hydrogen they need on site. All that is required is a water supply and an electricity connection.

In addition, the UK has a major advantage over other countries: as an island we also have the best offshore wind resources. At night, when electricity demand is lower, we could use our offshore wind farms to make green hydrogen at relatively low cost. As natural gas prices continue to be both volatile and expensive, this proposition is looking more and more attractive.

This is the sort of thing the Government should be focusing on as it seeks answers to the current energy crisis. 

Ideas like fracking aren’t just unpopular and inconsistent with our climate objectives, they’re old ideas stuck in the past not the future. As the world moves towards net zero, fossil fuels will only become more volatile in price. Even if we produced more natural gas in the UK, it would still sell as the market price – which right now is very high indeed. 

This isn’t the case with green hydrogen, whose price is determined by the cost of the electricity used to make it.

By looking to the future, we could demonstrate that net zero isn’t just about meeting our climate objectives – it’s also about delivering a new generation of skilled, well-paid jobs. 

For areas like Tameside this could be transformational, building on our existing strengths in manufacturing, chemicals and engineering. Green hydrogen is just one of a range of exciting new technologies, and as local MPs we’re currently working with the Council to attract firms to some of the prime industrial sites that we have in Tameside.

Best British practice is emerging that can reinvent our economy in a future proof way. I’m keen to ensure Tameside is part of it.

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