UK falling behind on hydrogen technology, as Ineos prioritises European expansion

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Petrochemicals tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the wealthiest man in the UK, and who was recently accused of “environmental vandalism” after being linked to almost a third of industrial air pollution in Scotland, has warned against burning fossil fuels and is now calling on the UK government to invest more money in hydrogen technology. Sir Jim’s company Ineos, which emitted 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, from its oil, chemical and power plants, is also developing clean-burning “green hydrogen”, and is spending €2bn on new electrolysis-based hydrogen plants across Europe, though not in Britain. Sir Jim’s own commitment to investing in the UK has also previously come under scrutiny – the calls for more funding for hydrogen come less than a year after Ineos abandoned a promise to locate a vehicle factory in Bridgend in Wales, where it would have created 500 jobs, to instead build the car plant at a former Mercedes-Benz factory in France. Wrightbus developed the world’s first hydrogen powered double decker bus, and alongside Inovyn, will “investigate opportunities for the deployment of hydrogen applications and technologies,” Ineos said.