Kraft Heinz and Carlton Power, one of the UK’s largest energy infrastructure development companies, are partnering for a £40 million green hydrogen plant worth over 46 million Euros. Kraft Heinz Company has signed the agreement to explore the possibilities of building a green and renewable hydrogen plant at the Kitt Green plant in Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK, one of the largest food processing plants in Europe and one of the largest Kraft Heinz plants in the world: it produces about a quarter of a million tons of food per year and employs about 850 people.

The proposal for a 20 MW hydrogen site at Kitt Green is an absolute novelty for Kraft Heinz globally: it aims to cover more than 50% of the plant’s annual natural gas needs and reduce carbon emissions by 16,000 tons per year. The production of hydrogen will use an electrolyser powered by electricity from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar.

The renewable hydrogen site is expected to start operation in 2026, subject to planning and funding approval: in the next 12-18 months, Kraft Heinz and Carlton Power will apply for project approval and, at the same time, the two companies will work together to obtain financing and operational financial support from the UK Department of Energy Supply and Net Zero. 

The construction of the plant, in fact, will depend on obtaining financial support from the British Government, within the commercial model of hydrogen production. The initiative, says the food company, aims to support the transition of British industry to hydrogen and promote the growth of the hydrogen economy throughout the country.

"We are delighted to be working with Kraft Heinz to build a green hydrogen plant in Kitt Green, to help the company accelerate its efforts to decarbonise its activities -says Eric Adams, head of Hydrogen Projects at Carlton Power-. It is crucial that projects like this are carried out to support British companies, especially manufacturing companies, in reducing their carbon emissions and achieving net zero".

"Our agreement with Carlton Power is an important step forward in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our global goal of zero net emissions by 2050, with a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 -adds Jojo Lins De Noronha, president of Northern Europe of The Kraft Heinz Company-. We are excited to collaborate to develop our first renewable hydrogen energy project globally and hope to see more projects like this in the future".