ALG advises on ground-breaking hydrogen project to fuel public transport

Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) recently advised Energia Group on the development of a ground-breaking clean hydrogen project to fuel public transport in Belfast.

The ‘Northern Ireland Hydrogen Transport’ project, which is being led by Energia Group and its partner, Translink, received £1.9million of grant funding from the Hydrogen for Transport Programme (HTP). HTP is an initiative launched by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), which supports the development and deployment of zero emission road transport.

The project is initially structured as a pilot and will use surplus wind energy to make hydrogen gas. The gas will then be used as a clean fuel for three double decker buses being supplied by Wrightbus to Translink. If successful, it is hoped that hydrogen transport could be rolled out more widely.

Our renewable energy specialists advised lead consortium partner Energia on the project. This included the construction and supply contracts for the hydrogen electrolyser, the bus fuelling station, the hydrogen supply terms and conditions and the various land agreements.

ALG’s Energy team in Northern Ireland – the largest dedicated energy team in the local market – was led by Mark Stockdale, partner at the firm’s Belfast office. He commented: "We are pleased to have advised on this highly innovative and unique project, having been deeply involved in the renewable energy industry in Northern Ireland for over a decade.

“Until now, the focus in the local market has been largely on the production of renewable electricity, mainly through wind. We hope that this will be the first of many new projects which will reduce Northern Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in the move towards a more sustainable future.

“We are particularly encouraged to see this technology being pioneered by local company, Wrightbus, and, if successful, anticipate that it could lead to the creation of many more jobs in the area in the future."