Orkney Islands Council are seeking input to inform their strategy for the development of hydrogen projects in the county.

The Orkney Hydrogen Strategy will sit within and support the strategic aims of the wider Orkney Sustainable Energy Strategy.

Although the Council is carrying out the consultation process for the new document, the intention is that the strategy is owned by the whole Orkney community, taking into account local industry and community groups who have an interest in the development of hydrogen use in the county.

The strategy provides a link between different hydrogen projects that are already established or that are in planning and provides some focus to project selection, streamlining any future project application processes.

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As well as delivering on significant national priorities and outcomes the Orkney Hydrogen Strategy will contribute to the Council's ongoing efforts to address the climate change emergency, with particular opportunities around transportation and heating energy.

The consultation will be carried out during July with drop-in sessions planned for Stromness on Friday 19 July in the Warehouse Buildings from 13:30 – 16:00 and Kirkwall, in the Carneigie Room at the Orkney Library and Archive on Monday 22 July from 13:30 to 15:30.

The draft Orkney Hydrogen Strategy will replace a previous Council document produced in 2016.

Orkney is currently host to several highly innovative and significant green energy projects that generate hydrogen through electrolysis powered by renewable sources such as community wind and tidal energy - including Surf N Turf, BIG HIT, Hydime and Hyseas. There are also opportunities for a number of new hydrogen projects.

Producing hydrogen during periods of wind turbine curtailment can minimise the potential for lost earnings for community groups, allowing them to collect Feed In Tariffs as well as producing a product with commercial value that has a multitude of uses - including heat, power, mobility, grid balancing and storage.