The project, which marks a major step forward in developing a renewable hydrogen economy in the Bradford-Humber region, was officially launched in March 2026. Consortium members gathered to celebrate the occasion and reaffirm their commitment to delivering this large-scale initiative.
€20 million in funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership has been awarded to the Lighter than Aire (LtA) Consortium with the ambition to create a large-scale hydrogen valley running from Bradford along the Aire-Humber river over the next five-years (2026-2031). This effort will accelerate decarbonisation and strengthen Europe’s position within industrial leadership of hydrogen technologies.
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is a unique public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of advanced clean hydrogen applications in Europe. It funds projects focused on production, distribution, storage, and end-use applications to help reach European climate neutrality goals by 2050. The LtA project aims to address all these areas in a wholistic approach to deploy a large-scale hydrogen valley.
Coordinated by HydraB, the project brings together partners from across Europe including leading vehicle manufacturers Wrightbus and Toyota, power supply, storage and transport experts HyGen, Ryze Power, GeoPura, HyKit, Intelligent Energy and more. As well as supporting partners HyEnergy Consultancy, ERM, Zeti, N-Gen Energy and Northern Gas Networks. The project partners come from across Europe and this cross-border collaboration and shared expertise demonstrates the European added value, which will work to deliver outcomes that would not be achievable at national level alone.
Located between Bradford, Leeds, and the Humber, the valley aims to bring together key stakeholders to overcome technological, financial, and regulatory barriers to ensure hydrogen becomes a practical and affordable choice for hard-to-decarbonise elements of the energy system. Partners will address these barriers by integrating lessons learnt from existing hydrogen valleys, enabling the project to grow faster and make a larger impact across different industries. A comprehensive approach will be taken to look at key legal, regulatory, and public acceptance issues, providing clear, practical guidance to enable hydrogen projects to succeed in real-world settings.
The Project’s Objectives are:
- Electrolysis capacity aiming to produce over 4,500 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually.
- Centralised hydrogen supply with an efficient “pipeline-on-wheels” distribution network, supporting large-scale commercial operations with hydrogen at near diesel-parity cost.
- Target deployment of over 150 heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles by leading European OEMs.
- Decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as logistics and construction, demonstrating the viability of hydrogen-powered equipment.
- Drive sustainable, equitable transformation in local industries such as glass production.
- Kick-start the Valley’s hydrogen ecosystem to unlock large-scale low-carbon infrastructure and investment in a key UK industrial heartland.
- Share the project’s results through a UK-wide roadshow and stakeholder engagement campaign to boost impact and public awareness of hydrogen technologies.
- Deliver integrated, real-time monitoring and optimisation across the Valley’s hydrogen value chain, including innovative asset utilisation heat mapping.
- Use the consortium’s hydrogen expertise to create a replicable model and support the development of four additional regions.
The project will lead to significant learnings and preparations for scalability and replicability across the UK and Europe in similar urban-industrial heartlands. Replicable actions and knowledge exchange between ecosystems are essential to develop a global integrated hydrogen economy and meet the Clean Hydrogen Partnership’s goal of accelerating hydrogen valley deployment and LtA has the potential to play a key role in this moving forwards.
LtA aligns strongly with the ambitions of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, setting bold targets to accelerate hydrogen development. With hydrogen capacity expected to expand rapidly in the coming years, the project will serve as a catalyst for regional transformation, positioning the valley as a leading hydrogen hub in the UK and across Europe.
Reflections from those involved
“The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is proud to support Lighter than Aire as part of our wider effort to turn hydrogen innovation into real deployment. As a first large-scale Hydrogen Valley in the UK, this project shows how integrated regional ecosystems can help accelerate decarbonisation, strengthen industrial competitiveness and create a model that can be replicated elsewhere in Europe.”
Valerie Bouillon-Delporte, Executive Director, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
“It’s fantastic to see the LtA project progressing as we aim to accelerate the hydrogen economy and support the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries. Introducing pioneering technologies and energy systems has proven to be a complex transition for industry. We believe that a turnkey solution of infrastructure, supply and vehicles – such as the LtA consortium offers – is the way forward to a robust hydrogen ecosystem that can support the entire Humber region.”
Andrew Barr, Chief Operating Officer, HydraB Group
“We are delighted that the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, co-funded by the European Union, has recognised the value of choosing and supporting this pioneering project in the UK. This project and support will provide the UK government and regions with a clear example of how collaboration with private investment can help deliver sustainable, decarbonised mobility while strengthening economic and energy security. We are also grateful to the Partnership for the timely and smooth agreement process.”
Jon Hunt, Senior Manager Hydrogen Transformation, Toyota