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The £200 million investment is the first phase of a planned £1 billion ($1.35 billion) national hydrogen corridor, according to Thames Freeport. The corridor will include multiple green hydrogen sites across the UK to help decarbonise road transport.

The project also includes a 5-tonne-per-day hydrogen-from-waste facility in Doncaster.

It will offer hydrogen refuelling and off-grid, hydrogen-powered ultra-fast EV chargers for cars, LGVs, and HGVs.

Chinook’s Tilbury plant will produce 12 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen daily from non-recyclable waste. This clean fuel will support the decarbonisation of road transport.

The facility will also remove over 50,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, create more than 150 skilled jobs in engineering, operations, logistics, and cleantech, and eliminate landfill methane using Chinook’s patented gasification technology, helping reduce supply chain emissions.

Engineered with minimal on-site hydrogen storage, the facility is designed to remain outside COMAH regulations, enabling a streamlined approval process.

It is expected to be operational by 2028, forming the first node of a national hydrogen network for HGV refuelling and other industrial uses.

The project advances the Government’s Industrial Strategy and marks an important step toward net-zero, clean industrial growth.

Minister for Investment, Baroness Gustafsson, CBE, said: “We’re serious about fostering the benefits of net zero, which is why our modern Industrial Strategy is driving growth into our clean energies sector to attract even more investment and create jobs. “Thames Freeport, one of our Industrial Strategy Zones, provides the perfect environment for this initiative to get started.”

Dr Rifat Chalabi, Executive Chairman, Chinook Hydrogen, said: “By converting non-recyclable waste into clean hydrogen, we tackle the twin challenges of waste and decarbonisation in one stroke. Thames Freeport provides the ideal launchpad for this scalable solution to power sustainable industrial growth across the UK.”

Rt Hon Ruth Kelly, Chair, Thames Freeport, said: “This is the kind of strategic, future-focused investment our Freeport Strategy sets out to attract. “Chinook’s commitment shows how Freeports can spark new industries, unlock global capital and build a greener, more resilient UK economy.”