UK Hydrogen Deal Will Replace 12M Liters of Diesel

A massive British construction project is ditching diesel for the largest supply of green hydrogen ever contracted in the country, proving that building big doesn't have to mean polluting big.

GeoPura, a British hydrogen innovator founded in 2019, will supply 2,500 tonnes of green hydrogen to the Lower Thames Crossing project. That's enough clean fuel to replace over 12 million liters of diesel and prevent 30,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The Lower Thames Crossing, a new road and tunnel designed to ease congestion at the Dartford Crossing, received planning permission in March 2025. National Highways committed to making it the first major British infrastructure project built carbon neutral, replacing diesel with hydrogen, electric, and other low-carbon fuels across construction.

Unlike diesel, hydrogen used in fuel cells only emits water. That means cleaner air for construction workers and nearby communities, along with dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Six hydrogen-powered generators are already working on the Essex project site, charging batteries for electric machinery with zero emissions. Last year, a British-made JCB hydrogen-fueled digger became the first deployed outside a test environment anywhere in the world when it broke ground in Kent.

GeoPura produces its green hydrogen through electrolysis powered by locally sourced renewable electricity at several UK locations. The company's flagship facility, HyMarnham Power in Nottinghamshire, sits on the site of a former coal-fired power station, showing how yesterday's fossil fuel infrastructure can power tomorrow's clean energy future.

The government's HAR1 funding supports the facility, part of a broader plan to boost energy security by reducing reliance on imported fuels vulnerable to supply disruptions. The emerging green energy sector could create over 400,000 jobs and add more than £7 billion to the British economy by 2030.

The Ripple Effect

This contract does more than clean up one construction site. The scale of the purchase requires three of Europe's biggest construction firms to invest in hydrogen-powered machinery and train workers to operate and maintain them, accelerating the entire industry's progress toward net zero.

GeoPura now employs more than 170 people across Britain and Europe, many who transitioned from traditional energy sectors. The contract will support continued expansion and create additional jobs in communities from Nottinghamshire to Kent.

Minister for Industry Chris McDonald called the collaboration "proof that clean energy goes hand-in-hand with major British infrastructure projects." Matt Palmer, Executive Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, said they're "not only reducing our own carbon footprint but also helping clean up the construction sector."

Britain is building its future with the cleanest fuel on Earth.