High Speed 2 (HS2) bosses have revealed the successful results of a trial of hydrogen-fuelled generators as ministers moved to boost the development of infrastructure for the green energy source.

Use of two hydrogen power units on a site in west London slashed carbon emissions by 51t per 400 hours while producing the electricity required for operations on the rapid rail link project.

HS2 air quality manager Andrea Davidson said the use of hydrogen rather than diesel to power site equipment brought “major” benefits.

The results of the trial were announced as the government held its Hydrogen Investment Summit, where energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng set out progress made on unlocking £9bn of investment to realise the “enormous potential” of the natural gas.

Ministers also officially opened the £240M Net Zero Hydrogen Fund for bids as well as launching the Hydrogen Business Model, which is designed to incentivise the production and use of low-carbon hydrogen.

And Kwarteng named Jane Toogood – chief executive of catalyst technologies at FTSE 250 research giant Johnson Matthey – as the UK’s first hydrogen champion. This role will see Toogood bring industry and government together to meet targets such as creating up to 10GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

In Ealing, two GeoPura 250kVA hydrogen power units were trialled for a year at HS2’s Victoria Road Crossover Box.

Civils contractor Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS) concluded they produced sufficient energy to replace diesel generators for site equipment while being quieter, less polluting and reducing carbon emissions.

SCS managing director James Richardson said the consortium was “committed” to reducing its environmental footprint by identifying innovations and was striving to be diesel-free across all its sites by next year.

GeoPura managing director Andrew Cunningham added that the trial demonstrated the capabilities of the firm’s units.

“They are particularly valuable in inner city sites such as this, as they not only reduce the CO2 impact of the works but also eliminate harmful NOx, particulate, and noise emissions, making the site a better neighbour in the local community,” he added.

Davidson said: “This is another example of how HS2 is driving change in the industry by trialling alternative fuel innovations, which will help us develop a thriving low carbon hydrogen sector in the UK and work towards a cleaner, greener energy system.”

Speaking at the Hydrogen Investment Summit, Kwarteng declared the UK’s hydrogen sector to be "open for business".

"With the right investment, we can unlock the enormous potential of hydrogen by reindustrialising our economy and ending our dependency on expensive fossil fuels,” he added.

Toogood said: “Working with industry and government, I hope to ensure we make progress in building a thriving hydrogen economy ensuring private sector investment and policy decisions are aligned to support timely decisions and outcomes.”

The UK announced its first Hydrogen Strategy last year.

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