North Norfolk is set to play a central role in the country's 'energy revolution', parliament has been told.
MP Duncan Baker has sung the praises of the Bacton Gas Terminal, as a £1.3 billion plan to turn it into a hydrogen energy plant was discussed.
The terminal currently supplies one third of the UK’s gas.
READ MORE: £1.3bn hydrogen energy project for north Norfolk revealed
Speaking in the House of Commons on May 9, Mr Baker said: “When the energy crisis started you wouldn’t have thought a small village in Bacton on the coast of rural north Norfolk in my constituency would have played a central role.
“It plays and will continue to play a significant role in the future of our energy security - specifically in the future of blue and green hydrogen production.
“The energy bill will see provision made to secure our energy production and regulation instead of subjecting the UK to volatile international markets.
"A transition to hydrogen is estimated to deliver 12.9 million tonnes CO2 reduction.
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“Not only does that provide us with 25pc of what is needed to reach net zero, but we will be generating up to £11 billion in private investment and over 12,000 new job opportunities by 2030.
“Hydrogen production will be the backbone of our transition away from fossil fuels and it is vital we accelerate our move towards these greener alternatives.
“The £1.3bn project to transform Bacton Gas Terminal into a hydrogen energy plant could heat up to 20 million homes for decades to come and has long-lasting positive impacts.”
Blue hydrogen refers to hydrogen created from natural gas and supported by carbon capture and storage.
This sees the CO2 generated during the process to create hydrogen being captured and stored permanently underground.
The initial project for a Bacton Energy Hub will be to create this type of hydrogen.
Some argue, however, that this type of energy is still harmful to the environment and that the move should be toward green hydrogen, which is generated by renewable energy or from low-carbon power.
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