- GeoPura will take 15% of available hydrogen in the first year, rising to 20% from year two.
- The agreement adds an off-grid power customer to Bradford’s existing transport and equipment buyers.
- It strengthens the project’s demand proposition, but does not establish that construction or full financing is complete.
Hygen Energy has signed a hydrogen offtake agreement with GeoPura for its planned Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen facility, adding a further customer as the developer works towards bringing the West Yorkshire project into operation in 2028.
GeoPura has agreed to buy 15% of the site’s available hydrogen in the first year, increasing to 20% from the second year onwards. The agreement adds off-grid electricity generation to the project’s customer mix. Construction equipment manufacturer JCB and bus manufacturer Wrightbus have also signed up to take hydrogen.
Located at the former Birkshall gas storage site, the facility is being developed by Hygen with N-Gen Energy Solutions. Its planned electrolyser has an electrical input capacity of 35MW, and the project has secured support through the government’s first Hydrogen Allocation Round.
GeoPura uses hydrogen in portable power units that generate electricity at locations without suitable grid access. Its business also includes hydrogen production and fuel distribution, giving it a role across both supply and end use.
For Bradford, the principal significance is an additional route to market. GeoPura’s off-grid power operations potentially connect the production site to demand beyond a single nearby industrial user. However, distributing hydrogen introduces its own requirements, including transport, storage and dependable delivery.
The publicly reported percentages should not be treated as fixed daily tonnages. They refer to available output, and the reports do not disclose the agreement’s price, duration or minimum purchase provisions.
“There is still much work to do before construction begins,” said Steven Hardman, head of power at HydraB Group, describing the agreement as an important milestone for the project.
The project website says a Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement has been signed to secure government support. Its published schedule envisages construction beginning in 2027, commissioning in mid-2028 and hydrogen production later that year.
Offtake reduces uncertainty
For the UK hydrogen sector, the agreement addresses a central commercial challenge: aligning production investment with credible demand.
Government revenue support and customer commitments serve different purposes. Support can underpin production economics, while an offtake agreement helps establish where the product will go. Neither alone demonstrates that all development, construction and operating risks have been resolved.
The announcement also illustrates a specific hydrogen application: supplying portable electricity generation where a suitable grid connection is unavailable. It should not be presented as proof that hydrogen is the preferred option for every off-grid requirement.
Customers will need to assess delivered electricity costs, operating hours, reliability and alternatives such as batteries or a permanent grid connection. The emissions outcome also depends on how the hydrogen is produced and delivered, not simply on the absence of combustion in the power unit.
For developers and investors, the next material milestones are construction readiness, financing and an updated operating schedule. For buyers, dependable fuel availability and the cost of the complete service will matter more than headline electrolyser capacity.
