Aberdeen City Council Leader Councilor Jenny Laing was joined by BOC’s director of Bulk and Packaged Gases Nathan Palmer and Transport Scotland chief executive David Middleton to open United Kingdom’s first commercial-scale hydrogen production and bus refueling station, which will fuel Europe’s largest hydrogen bus fleet, as part of a £19-million green transport demonstration project. It is located at Aberdeen City’s Kittybrewster depot.
Owned and operated by BOC, the station will fuel 10 Van Hool hydrogen fuel cell buses – six of which will be operated by Stagecoach on the X17 Aberdeen city center to Westhill route, while First will operate four on the X40 Kingswells to Bridge of Don park-and-ride route. The buses will only emit water vapor, reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, as well as being quieter and smoother to run than diesel vehicles.
“As a leading world energy city determined to anchor the renewables industry in the North-east of Scotland, the success of the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project is a real coup,” said Laing. “We not only have Europe’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses running on the streets of Aberdeen, but we also have the UK’s first and largest hydrogen production and bus refueling station, with plans in place for further hydrogen stations which will be capable of fueling other vehicles, including cars.”
Transport Minister Derek Mackay also commented: “The Scottish Government is supporting the introduction of cleaner and greener transport options across Scotland. Aberdeen’s new fleet of zero emission hydrogen buses is one of the most exciting of these. The public will welcome the smoother and quieter journeys these buses bring, which will undoubtedly add to the attractiveness of this mode as a travel choice.”
Source: Aberdeen City Council
