Kraft Heinz, Carlton Power to Develop Renewable Green Hydrogen Project in UK

The Kraft Heinz Company and Carlton Power have signed an agreement to study and plan the development of a renewable green hydrogen plant at the Kitt Green manufacturing facility in Wigan, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Kitt Green is a large food processing plant that produces 250 million tons of food per year and employs 850 people.

“We’re delighted to be working with Kraft Heinz to bring forward a green hydrogen facility at Kitt Green to help the company accelerate its efforts to decarbonize their operations,” said Eric Adams, Hydrogen Projects Director at Carlton Power. “It is critical that projects like this are brought forward to support British companies, especially in manufacturing, in reducing their carbon emissions and reaching Net Zero.”

The planned 20 MW Kitt Green hydrogen plant will meet more than 50% of the manufacturing site’s yearly natural gas demand and reduce carbon emissions by 16,000 T/yr. Hydrogen will be produced by an electrolyzer using electricity generated from sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.

Carlton and Kraft Heinz’s renewable hydrogen scheme is set to enter commercial operation in 2026, pending planning approval and financing. Construction is contingent on securing financial support from the UK’s second hydrogen allocation round (HAR2), which launched to support the industry’s switch to hydrogen and encourage the growth of the hydrogen economy.

Over the course of 12-18 months, the companies will seek to obtain planning permission for the scheme. They will also obtain grant funding and operational financial support from the UK Department of Energy Supply and Net Zero (DESNZ) with a target to deliver hydrogen for Kitt Green in 2026/27. The submission to DESNZ will be made this year following consultations with local and national stakeholders.

“Our agreement with Carlton Power is an important step forward in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our global goal of net zero emissions by 2050, with a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030,” said Jojo Lins De Noronha, President, Northern Europe, Kraft Heinz Company. “We’re excited to partner together to develop our first, renewable hydrogen energy project globally and hope to see more projects like these in the future.”