Over 2,500 tonnes of green hydrogen from UK hydrogen supplier GeoPura will power construction machinery at the Lower Thames Crossing project.

The hydrogen will replace more than 12 million litres of diesel at the site in Essex. According to National Highways, which is managing the project, the use of hydrogen is expected to save an estimated 30,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions during construction.

Approximately 23km in length, the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing will connect Kent, Thurrock and Essex with two tunnels – one northbound and one southbound – running beneath the River Thames. The project was given the go-ahead by the UK government last year, with an expected completion date of 2031. 

National Highways has said that it will be the first major British infrastructure project to be carbon neutral in construction, and the contract with GeoPura marks the largest volume of green hydrogen ever produced for a British construction project. Six hydrogen-powered generators are already at work on the site, with further hydrogen to be supplied as a managed service – including delivery, storage and distribution to equipment – during the main construction phase of the project.

Matt Palmer, executive director for the Lower Thames Crossing, said: “Today we’ve given the green light to green hydrogen. By replacing diesel with home-grown hydrogen, we're not only reducing our own carbon footprint but also helping clean up the construction sector.”

GeoPura produces green hydrogen (green because the electrolysis process uses locally sourced renewable electricity rather than power generated from fossil fuels) at a number of sites throughout the UK, including its flagship HyMarnham Power facility in Nottinghamshire, located on the site of a former coal-fired power station.

Andrew Cunningham, CEO of GeoPura, said: “We’re extremely proud to be supplying the largest volume of green hydrogen ever contracted for a British construction project and I congratulate the Lower Thames Crossing for setting a powerful example of how major infrastructure can be delivered sustainably. 

“This contract award further strengthens the British hydrogen supply chain, driving both price efficiency and British jobs across this new, exciting industry with tangible deployments.”

This substantial contract means that other construction firms supplying machinery for the project will need to invest in hydrogen-powered equipment. It forms part of the government’s wider plans to boost the production of green fuels such as hydrogen and to reduce reliance on imported energy sources that are vulnerable to supply disruption.

Chris McDonald, minister for industry, said: “GeoPura and the Lower Thames Crossing collaboration is proof that clean energy goes hand-in-hand with major British infrastructure projects.

“Hydrogen has a key role to play in our industrial strategy, and from Nottinghamshire to Kent, our first flagship hydrogen projects will sustainably power projects up and down the country.”