Plans revealed for £40m renewable hydrogen plant at Wigan's Heinz factory

The Kraft Heinz Company has signed an agreement with energy infrastructure development company Carlton Power to study the development of a renewable green hydrogen plant at its Kitt Green manufacturing plant.

It is one of the largest food processing plants in Europe, producing a quarter of a million tons of food annually – including Heinz’s famous baked beans – and employing around 850 people.

The 20MW hydrogen plant – the first to be taken forward by Kraft Heinz globally – would meet more than 50 per cent of the site’s annual natural gas demand and reduce its carbon emissions.

The hydrogen would be produced by an electrolyser using electricity generated from sources of renewable energy, primarily wind and solar power.

Jojo Lins De Noronha, president, northern Europe, for Kraft Heinz, said: “Our agreement with Carlton Power is an important step forward in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our global goal of net zero emissions by 2050, with a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. We’re excited to partner together to develop our first, renewable hydrogen energy project globally and hope to see more projects like these in the future.”

Eric Adams, hydrogen projects director at Carlton Power, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Kraft Heinz to bring forward a green hydrogen facility at Kitt Green to help the company accelerate its efforts to decarbonise their operations. It is critical that projects like this are brought forward to support British companies, especially in manufacturing, in reducing their carbon emissions and reaching net zero.”

Subject to planning approval and financing, the £40m renewable hydrogen scheme is earmarked to enter operation in 2026.

It is contingent on securing financial support from the Government’s second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2) of the Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM), which was launched to support UK industry’s switch to hydrogen.

The two companies hope to obtain grant funding and operational financial support from the Department of Energy Supply and Net Zero (DESNZ), with a submission to DESNZ made this year (via HAR2), following consultations with stakeholders.

Over the next 12 to18 months, Kraft Heinz and Carlton Power will seek to obtain planning permission for the scheme.

Lisa Nandy, shadow international development secretary and MP for Wigan, said: “It’s welcome news that Kraft Heinz has chosen Kitt Green as a key site for investment in clean power. Transitioning to net zero is essential to protect local jobs and defend the environment. It is a sign of confidence in Wigan that Heinz has identified Kitt Green as the first site for investment. We look forward to working with them and the local community to develop this pioneering project.”

Wigan Council leader Coun David Molyneux said: “As a council we have declared a climate emergency and are working towards our aim of net zero carbon by 2038. We all need to play our part in taking positive action for our planet and this project is a really exciting innovation taking place here in our borough. It’s great to see a well-known business like Kraft Heinz looking to lead by example and take this proactive step to produce less carbon and embrace green energy. I look forward to seeing how this project progresses.”