“It’s no surprise that the Western Gateway is leading the Hydrogen industry through to the Net Zero transition”

Hydrogen Gateway was led by the Western Gateway Partnership in collaboration with Hydrogen South West, the South Wales Industrial Cluster and the GW4 Alliance.  The conference aimed to discuss the role that Hydrogen could play in a net zero economy with workshops throughout the day to help businesses understand the opportunities that transferring to Hydrogen energy could provide.

In particular, the conference highlighted the potential for the area to take an international lead in sustainable aviation and finding ways decarbonise heavy industry as part of a launch of the Western Gateway Hydrogen Delivery Pathway. 

Politicians including Julie James MS, Welsh Minister for Climate Change, Lord Callanan, UK Minister with responsibility for Hydrogen and Chris Skidmore MP, Chair of the UK Net Zero Review, highlighted the important role of public/ private partnerships like Western Gateway in reaching national net zero targets.

Julie James MS said: “The work of the Western Gateway is crucial in supporting the necessary transition for our economies through the next industrial revolution towards a net zero society.

“In Wales, we are committed to moving our energy system away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy, as a critical path towards achieving our statutory targets and international obligations as a responsible nation.

“I very much hope that the Western Gateway will continue to drive forward the very important partnership working that we need, and that the Welsh Government will continue to support, across all of our shared ambitions.”

Lord Callanan said: “Successful pan-regional partnerships, such as the Western Gateway, are vital to our long-term competitiveness as a United Kingdom.

“It is no surprise that the Western Gateway is leading the Hydrogen industry through to the Net Zero transition.  From the Welsh Coal industry in the 18th and 19th centuries to the Hinkley Nuclear power Plants in the 20th and 21st centuries, this region really has been a hub for energy innovation.

“And now it’s set to become a testbed for demonstrating the technological, the viability of Hydrogen.”

The Western Gateway is the pan-regional partnership for South Wales and Western England, bringing together businesses, universities and local leaders to work together to become the UK’s Green Energy Powerhouse and add £34bn to the UK’s economy by 2030.

Alongside the Delivery Pathway, the Western Gateway also published a report from City Science which provided a evidence base to inform future work in Hydrogen within the area.

You can watch Lord Callanan's full speech on our partnership's YouTube channel.