Early stage proposals to build a new hydrogen production facility at a former Neath Port Talbot colliery have been submitted. If taken forward, they could eventually see a small-scale biomass gasification plant for hydrogen production developed on land at the Abernant Colliery in Pontardawe.
Planning Process Initiated
Developers at Dynevor Limited requested that Neath Port Talbot Council provide them with a screening opinion to determine if a full planning application would need to include an environmental assessment. The application concerns a site located around three miles to the north west of Pontardawe on the former Abernant colliery off the A474, Pontardawe Road.
Site History and Current Condition
The former mining site is understood to have closed in the late 1980s, with the demolition of its large winding towers taking place in the mid 1990s. It currently occupies an area of roughly two and a half hectares of marshy grassland, as well as dense and scattered scrub, scattered trees, streams, ditches, and ponds.
Proposed Facility Details
The report stated: "The applicant intends to construct and operate a small-scale biomass gasification CHP plant for hydrogen production on land at Abernant Colliery, Pontardawe." It added: "The gasification plant is highly specialist in its nature and uses the principles of advanced thermal conversion to chemically recover the energy from biomass and waste feedstocks and produce a clean syngas and hydrogen." The plant is principally designed to operate using non-hazardous low-grade waste wood or readily available waste streams such as pelletised solid recovered fuel.
Production Capacity and Environmental Impact
Once up and running, the "waste-to-hydrogen generation facility" could produce up to 175kg of hydrogen per hour from 50,000 tonnes of waste per year. It noted this would also support the reduction of waste going to landfill across Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Powys, and Pembrokeshire.
Regional Context
The early stage proposals come less than a year after approved plans to create another hydrogen production facility near the town of Port Talbot.
