KIMBERLY-Clark, the international manufacturer of popular household products such as Andrex and Huggies, has signed an agreement with Carlton Power to supply hydrogen to the company’s Barrow facility.

This partnership will support the development of Carlton’s proposed Barrow Green Hydrogen scheme in Cumbria and reduce Kimberly-Clark’s reliance on natural gas.

The Barrow Green Hydrogen scheme, the first of its kind in Cumbria, was announced earlier this month.

Carlton Power identified the opportunity and is leading the development in partnership with a regional public/private sector consortium - Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Barrow Borough Council, Cadent Gas and Electricity North-West. Barrow Green Hydrogen will provide Kimberly-Clark, and potentially other energy-intensive users in the area, with hydrogen to fuel their operations.

This project will initially feature a 35MW electrolyser, expected to produce approximately 3500 tonnes of hydrogen every year - reducing 25,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions which is equivalent to taking 580 trucks off UK roads annually.

The hydrogen will be produced by the electrolyser using electricity that is generated from sources of renewable energy, primarily wind and solar power. The Barrow Green Hydrogen scheme is to be located on land adjacent to Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing facility on Park Road.

Subject to planning and financing, the £40m scheme is targeted to enter commercial operation in 2025. The construction of the Barrow Green Hydrogen project is contingent on securing financial support from the UK Government via its Hydrogen Investment Package (HIP).

Kimberly-Clark recently announced plans to decarbonise approximately 80 per cent of its electricity supply through a Power Purchase Agreement, which will lead to the construction of a new onshore windfarm in Scotland that will start operating in early 2023.

Eric Adams, hydrogen projects director at Carlton Power said: “We are delighted to have entered a commercial agreement with Kimberly-Clark, who embrace the importance of green hydrogen in their operations at Barrow and potentially across their global operations. The development of green hydrogen projects like our Barrow hub is critical if major energy users, like Kimberly-Clark, are to decarbonise their operations.”

Dan Howell, vice president and managing director at Kimberly-Clark UK & Ireland, said: “Green hydrogen is a significant next step in decarbonising our operations and delivering our ambition of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030 in the UK and Ireland. Kimberly Clark aims to lead the way on sustainability and deliver our purpose of better care for a better world.”