Clydebank is set for an innovative new £20 million hydrogen facility after planning permission was granted by the council.

The state-of-the-art development, which is only the second of its kind in the UK, will turn end-of-life plastic products into hydrogen fuel for vehicles and include a hydrogen refuelling station at the Rothesay Dock site.

The plans, lodged by Peel NRE Ltd of Manchester, will also create 100 temporary jobs in the construction of the station along with 24 full-time jobs once completed with developers aiming for work to begin next year and the site to be open and operational from as early as 2024.

Addressing West Dunbartonshire Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, June 8, Donald Anderson, a director of Playfair Scotland, representing the applicants, outlined this was an important development in Scotland addressing the climate emergency.

He said: “The proposals before you will see the site developed for hydrogen production that will have an important role to play in Scotland’s energy mix and to help meet clime change targets.

“The proposals take plastics that might otherwise go to landfill or be incinerated and use it to generate hydrogen and electricity.

“The hydrogen produced by the facility can be exported to the local market and or be provided to the refuelling station which also forms part of the development.”

Mr Anderson also told the councillors that hydrogen vehicles do not produce any harmful emissions to the atmosphere and could provide significant benefits to the air quality and the environmental health of the surrounding area.

“It will boost the local economy by an £800,000 injection of GVE each and every year,” he added.

There are also hopes the station will be self-sustaining and possibly create heat energy for local homes.

Richard Barker, development director at Peel NRE, said after the decision: “This is a fantastic moment for West Dunbartonshire and the surrounding area. It shows how the UK is innovating when it comes to rolling out new net-zero technologies.

"The facility will address the dual challenge of both tackling our problem of plastic whilst creating hydrogen, a sustainable fuel for future generations.

“Whilst the focus must remain on removing plastic from society, there are still end of life plastics that need managing.

"The £20m plant will play a pivotal role in making the best use of non-recyclable material, with the resulting hydrogen able to help cut carbon emissions from vehicles.”

It’s only the second such planned facility in the UK, with the first to be delivered at Peel NRE’s Protos site, near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, due to begin construction this year.