IN Brief:
- Wienerberger has secured government-backed funding to support a £6m hydrogen kiln conversion at Denton.
- Two tunnel kilns will be retrofitted, replacing 224 gas burners and adding new hydrogen, electrical, and control infrastructure.
- Phased operation is targeted from 2027, with full hydrogen firing across the site planned from autumn 2028.
Wienerberger has secured government-backed funding to support a £6m programme to convert its Denton brickworks in Greater Manchester from natural gas to green hydrogen, in a move intended to create the world’s first commercial-scale hydrogen-fired brick plant. The funding comes through the UK Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.
The project will retrofit two tunnel kilns, replacing 224 natural gas burners while adding new hydrogen supply infrastructure and upgraded electrical and control systems. Wienerberger said the work will be completed without altering the structural integrity of the existing kilns.
Hydrogen for the site is due to be supplied under a 15-year Hydrogen Supply Agreement with Trafford Green Hydrogen, jointly developed by Carlton Power and Schroders Greencoat. Deliveries will be made by tube trailer to an on-site offloading and pressure reduction station, with one kiln expected to be fully operational, or both partially converted, by autumn 2027. Full transition to 100% hydrogen firing across the site is scheduled to begin in autumn 2028.
Once fully operational, Wienerberger expects the switch to cut carbon dioxide emissions at Denton by more than 11,600 tonnes a year, equivalent to a 9% reduction in the company’s annual Scope 1 and 2 emissions in the UK. The company also said testing through a DESNZ-funded research programme led by Ceramics UK indicated the change in fuel source would not materially alter brick strength, appearance, or technical performance.
