Wood to Redevelop UK’s Rough Field for Hydrogen Storage, Eyes Global Leadership

Wood to Redevelop UK’s Rough Field for Hydrogen Storage, Eyes Global Leadership

(IN BRIEF) Wood has been awarded a contract by Centrica Energy Storage (CES) to redevelop the UK’s Rough field in the Southern North Sea for hydrogen storage. This project aims to repurpose the long-standing natural gas storage facility to potentially meet more than half of the UK’s hydrogen storage needs. The contract includes front-end engineering design (FEED) for new pipelines, an unmanned installation, and onshore injection facilities at Easington Gas Terminal. While CES aims for Rough to become the largest long-duration hydrogen storage facility globally, the final investment decision hinges on UK government support for gas storage investments.

(PRESS RELEASE) ABERDEEN, 27-Jun-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Wood, a prominent consulting and engineering firm, has secured a contract from Centrica Energy Storage (CES) to redevelop the UK’s Rough field for future hydrogen storage capabilities. Situated in the Southern North Sea, Rough has historically stored natural gas and is poised to potentially meet over half of the UK’s hydrogen storage needs.

Under the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract, Wood will oversee the installation of new pipelines, an unmanned facility, and onshore injection facilities at the Easington Gas Terminal. This initiative marks the initial phase in preparing the field for hydrogen storage applications.

Steve Nicol, Executive President of Operations at Wood, expressed pride in contributing to this innovative project crucial for the UK’s energy security and industrial decarbonization goals. He emphasized hydrogen’s role alongside offshore wind and carbon capture and storage in achieving the UK’s net-zero ambitions across industries, transportation, and power sectors.

Centrica Energy Storage’s Managing Director, Martin Scargill, highlighted their ambitious vision for Rough to become the world’s largest long-duration hydrogen storage facility. However, finalizing the Rough Redevelopment project hinges on establishing a regulatory support framework to incentivize gas storage investments in the UK.

The contract award is expected to generate approximately 50 new jobs in the UK, reinforcing Wood’s commitment to enhancing infrastructure for sustainable energy solutions.

Media Contact:

press.office@woodgroup.com

SOURCE: John Wood Group PLC