Thames Hydrogen Project Lands £200 Million to Turn Trash into Clean Fuel

Image Credit: Chinook Hydrogen

A significant green energy project is taking shape at Thames Freeport. Backed by £200 million in funding from Middle East investors, a new hydrogen-from-waste facility is set to rise on the Tilbury Tax Site. Chinook Hydrogen, a specialist firm in sustainable energy solutions, is delivering the project.

This investment marks the opening move in a much larger vision, the creation of a £1 billion hydrogen corridor spanning the United Kingdom. The aim is to establish a network of green hydrogen production sites strategically located across the national road infrastructure. These hubs will help decarbonise road transport by providing clean fuel alternatives for heavy goods vehicles and other commercial fleets.

One of the key follow-up sites in this initiative will be located in Doncaster. It will produce five tonnes of hydrogen per day using waste as the feedstock. The facility will support hydrogen vehicle refuelling and feature off-grid ultra-fast superchargers powered by hydrogen. These charging points will cater to a range of vehicle types, including passenger cars, light goods vehicles and large commercial trucks.

If all goes to plan, the Tilbury site is expected to be fully operational by 2028. Once online, it will become the first active node in a national hydrogen network designed to support both heavy transport refuelling and broader industrial applications.

Dr Rifat Chalabi, Executive Chairman, Chinook Hydrogen, said: “By converting non-recyclable waste into clean hydrogen, we tackle the twin challenges of waste and decarbonisation in one stroke. Thames Freeport provides the ideal launchpad for this scalable solution to power sustainable industrial growth across the UK.”

This move signals a serious commitment to accelerating the UK’s transition toward cleaner transport and energy independence, one hydrogen molecule at a time.