Pilkington Runs Whole Furnace on a Hydrogen Blend
Leaders gathered at Pilkington UK’s Greengate site in St Helens, Liverpool City Region this week, to drive the conversation around hydrogen marking the North West ‘stop’ on the Decarbonised Glass Alliance’s (DGA) Hydrogen Roadshow.
The event brought together HyNet and HyDeploy project team members with industry and local stakeholders to discuss the region’s innovative hydrogen activities and development.
It was announced on the day that Pilkington UK had just completed a project using a blend of hydrogen with natural gas in the furnace over a full five-day period.
The successful demonstration proved that the full furnace could be run safely on the hydrogen blend, without compromising on quality standards or operational performance. Back in August Pilkington achieved a global first by firing 100% hydrogen in part of the furnace.
Matt Buckley, Managing Director of Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd, part of the NSG Group, said: “We are proud to sit at the forefront of hydrogen innovation in the glass industry. Our team’s collaborations with HyNet and HyDeploy are enabling huge steps forward to be taken, as we work towards the decarbonisation of our activities."
“Both trials have successfully demonstrated that it is possible to use hydrogen to safely and effectively fire a float glass plant. We now look forward to HyNet being fully up and running from 2025 in order to turn these demonstrations into reality.”
Cllr Andy Bowen, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, St Helens Council, said: “I’m delighted to be here today to join the DGA roadshow. It’s a real opportunity for the DGA to see what’s happening here in the borough and for us to learn from them about the benefits of hydrogen and the decarbonisation of the gas supply sector.”
Image: Delegates are briefed on the Pilkington use of a hydrogen-natural gas blend to fire the entire Greengate furnace
