Bristol Airport joins consortium leading the way to a hydrogen future

Credit: Bristol Airport (BRS)

As part of the Festival of Clean Aviation Growth, Bristol Airport (BRS) hosted the third in its series of Roundtable events with leading members of the region’s Aerospace and Aviation Cluster on 15 October 2021. The focus of the event was the development of an ecosystem for hydrogen in the region – not just in the rail, road, maritime, and air transport sectors but for domestic and commercial power too – with the strapline of ‘Make It – Move It – Use It.’

Based on the principle of Think Big, Start Small, a number of companies have agreed to collaborate and form a consortium to look at the possibilities for creating the infrastructure that will serve the needs of hydrogen as critical source of zero-carbon fuel in the decades ahead. Initially the group of companies will include Bristol Airport, Bristol Port, Wood, Costain, EDF(UK), Airbus, easyJet, Wales & West Utilities, and the GW4 Alliance of universities. 

Credit: Bristol Airport (BRS)

As part of the collaboration, Wood will deliver a decarbonisation roadmap encompassing key regional stakeholders with the view to transform the airport into a pilot site for future aviation technologies.

The collaboration reflects the UK government’s ambition to deliver a net zero domestic aviation sector by 2040 and net zero international aviation by 2050, as part of its Transport Decarbonisation Plan that was released in July 2021.

Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport said: “The creation of this consortium to develop an ecosystem for hydrogen in the region, is a tangible product of the Aerospace and Aviation Cluster that the Airport has been proud to start up. Not only will it pave the way for our sector in the years ahead, but it will also serve the needs of a multitude of other requirements from running buses to heating homes.”

Katherine Bennett, CBE, Chair of the Western Gateway, gave the keynote address at the Roundtable event. She commented: “I am absolutely delighted to see industries from different sectors combining together to address the challenges that face us from both a carbon emissions and economic development point of view. We need to develop the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen, and this will stimulate business across the region and create high skilled new jobs in the process.”