A company that hopes to build the UK’s first waste-to-hydrogen plant and education and training hub in Manston has submitted its planning application to Kent County Council.
The proposed 10-acre site at Manston on Grade II agricultural land will turn household and commercial waste into hydrogen, aimed at reducing the amount of waste currently sent to landfill sites and conventional carbon-producing incineration.
Hydrogen TE (UK) Ltd (HTE) says its £120m scheme will use a heating process to break down the waste to atomic levels before converting the resulting syngas to clean hydrogen, the plant would create zero to very low emissions and HTE says it will be virtually self-sustaining with approximately 70 per cent energy recovery.
The facility is projected to use 44,000 tonnes of waste, earmarked for incineration or landfill. It is projected the total production of Hydrogen in the first trading year will be 7,600 tonnes of Fuel Cell grade Hydrogen and 110,000 tonnes of storable or usable liquid Carbon Dioxide. This is equivalent to 7.6 million kilograms of Hydrogen produced by the proposed two-plant operation per year. HTE says it will create up to 397 jobs during construction and 96 direct jobs when built with 165 jobs through the wider supply chain.
The site is earmarked for land adjacent to Manston airport.
HTE also plans to provide a community outreach and educational programme; including a visitor centre and field trip opportunities for schools, giving students first-hand experience of green energy in action; partnerships with schools, colleges and universities to promote STEM careers and provide training opportunities; a new training hub creating 30 additional roles, and support for local charities, sports clubs and community groups.
Waste delivery will take place six days per week. Key plant components include processing chambers, storage tanks, and emission control equipment.
The plant footprint is 4,002 sq.m, with buildings clad in aluminium panels, designed to reflect hydrogen atom motifs. The innovation centre (1,862 sq.m) will include visitor facilities, offices, café, and training spaces, with a green roof and PV panels.
Site access will be via a new junction on Manston Road, with dedicated internal roads, parking for staff and visitors, and service routes.
Servicing includes articulated lorries for waste, hydrogen, CO₂, and aggregate transport.
If approved by Kent County Council, the 13-acre site will become the UK’s first plant to convert household and commercial waste into clean hydrogen.
The company says: “As the UK continues to face significant energy challenges, the need for secure, reliable, and domestically produced energy has never been greater. “Hydrogen has a vital role to play in strengthening energy security and enabling long-term self-sufficiency and this project is designed to be part of that solution.”
Hydrogen TE (UK) Ltd was incorporated as a company in 2023. As yet there have been no accounts filed with Companies House.
The Manston scheme would be the firm’s first project. According to its website, a second scheme is being mooted for a site in Cymbran, Wales, with a suggested £200m investment.
Hyundai launched the world’s largest waste-to-hydrogen plant, capable of producing over 30,000 tons of hydrogen annually, last year.
Based in Seoul, the plant converts organic waste and plastic into eco-friendly hydrogen through advanced biogas and gasification processes.
For more information about the company, visit www.hydrogen-te.com.
The planning documents can be viewed on the KCC website, reference KCC/TH/0050/2026
Comments can be submitted until May 10th.
It all seems a load of rubbish to me, wonderful! This should put Thanet on the map as the most environmentally friendly district in GB! Well done, lets hope KCC don’t blow it out!
The streets of Thanet could be even browner than usual.
Waste-to-hydrogen (WtH) plants offer a sustainable way to produce hydrogen, but they face significant risks, primarily centering on technological novelty (TRL 7-8), high capital costs, and safety hazards. Key dangers include fire and explosion risks from handling flammable syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide), potential toxic emissions, and, without [Carbon Capture and Storage] (CCS), significant environmental impact.
There is enough waste flailing around the A299 with all the litter and totally neglected laybys.I think Thanet would be a great location as there is more waste in Kent than any other County I have ever visited.With Thanet being the worst place in Kent.
What’s the verified whole life E.R.O.E.I. figure for this process T.D.C? if it’s less than 1 then it can’t possibly be viable. Can it?
Why do you think that such a plant has not been built anywhere else in the U.K? Probably a sophisticated money laundering scheme.
Much as we need employment in Thanet, projects like this should not be permitted on agricultural land.
Surely there are enough demands on what little Grade II must be left by now with all the house building that has been approved. This kind of development should be on brown-field land of which there must be some in Manston? What about part of the Northern Grass? It certainly can’t come under the category of agricultural land at this point and I don’t believe it features in RSP plans for the Airport.