North Wales Is Building a Hydrogen Model That Works Locally

The Holyhead Hydrogen Hub is more than a renewable energy project. It’s an opportunity for North Wales to take a leading role in the transition to a low carbon economy - not just by producing clean fuel, but by showing how regional collaboration, community ownership and innovation can come together in practice. 

At Ambition North Wales, we’re supporting the development of the hub as a project within our North Wales Growth Deal – which is a £1 billion investment to the region’s economy, £240m of which is funded by the Welsh Government and UK Government. Our wider role also includes delivering local area energy plans and regional transport planning, and coordinating the Regional Skills Partnership which helps prepare young people for careers - including in low carbon industries, such as hydrogen. All of this is directly connected to the opportunity presented by the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub. 

The hub will use renewable electricity from the Morlais tidal stream infrastructure off the coast of Anglesey to produce green hydrogen for use in transport and other hard-to-decarbonise sectors. That alone is significant. But what makes the project especially valuable is the model behind it, both in how it is structured and who it is designed to benefit. 

Morlais is owned and operated by Menter Môn Morlais Ltd,  a subsidiary of Menter Môn Cyf which is a social enterprise set up 30-years ago to deliver economic and environmental benefit for people in Anglesey and across the whole of North Wales. That means the energy used to power the hub is locally generated and community owned. The hydrogen facility itself is being delivered through a joint venture between Menter Môn and Hynamics, a subsidiary of EDF. It’s a model that brings together local insight with technical expertise, and shows that communities don’t need to wait for external investment — they can lead or co-develop important energy infrastructure themselves. 

This kind of ownership model is less common in UK energy projects, particularly those involving newer technologies like hydrogen. But it aligns directly with Welsh Government’s ambition to see one gigawatt of locally owned renewable energy capacity in place by 2030. In that context, the Holyhead scheme is not only timely - it’s a potential blueprint for other regions looking to combine low carbon delivery with local benefit. 

The impact could be felt far beyond the site itself. If organisations across the region begin to explore hydrogen as part of their operations - from transport fleets to plant and machinery - this will open up further opportunities for refuelling infrastructure, storage, and workforce development. That’s why raising awareness of the project is so important. By encouraging conversations between potential users and the project partners now, we can help ensure the right support is in place when the hydrogen becomes available. 

For North Wales, the hub is a chance to demonstrate what the region can offer, not only in terms of natural resources, but also in the strength of its partnerships and the ambition of its communities. It shows that innovation is not just about technology. It’s also about ownership, delivery and benefit. The Holyhead Hydrogen Hub will bring these elements together in a way that can be a great example for other low carbon energy projects in Wales and beyond.