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The Kraft Heinz Company has signed an agreement with UK energy infrastructure development company, Carlton Power, to explore the possibilities of establishing a £40 million green renewable hydrogen plant at its Kitt Green facility in Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Kitt Green is one of the biggest food processing plants in Europe and is one of the largest Kraft Heinz facilities worldwide. It produces about a quarter of a million tons of food every year and employs approximately 850 people. The proposed 20MW Kitt Green hydrogen site – a first for Kraft Heinz globally – aims to cover more than 50% of the plant’s annual natural gas demand and reduce the facility's carbon emissions by 16,000 tons per year. The hydrogen production will use an electrolyser powered by electricity from sources of renewable energy, primarily wind and solar power. Eric Adams, hydrogen projects director at Carlton Power, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Kraft Heinz to bring forward a green hydrogen facility at Kitt Green to help the company accelerate its efforts to decarbonise its operations. It is critical that projects like this are brought forward to support British companies, especially in manufacturing, in reducing their carbon emissions and reaching net zero.” Jojo Lins De Noronha, president of northern Europe at The Kraft Heinz Company, said: “Our agreement with Carlton Power is an important step forward in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our global goal of net zero emissions by 2050, with a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030. We’re excited to partner together to develop our first, renewable hydrogen energy project globally and hope to see more projects like these in the future.” The renewable hydrogen scheme is set to operate in 2026, subject to planning approval and financing. Its construction will be contingent on securing financial support from the UK Government’s second hydrogen allocation round of the Hydrogen Production Business Model. This initiative is aimed at supporting the transition of the UK industry to hydrogen and fostering the growth of the hydrogen economy throughout the country.

According to the company, in the next 12-18 months, Kraft Heinz and Carlton Power will pursue planning permission for the scheme. Simultaneously, the two companies will collaborate to secure grant funding and operational financial support from the UK Department of Energy Supply and Net Zero, aiming to supply hydrogen to Kitt Green in 2026/27.