Scottish booze makers partner up on green H2 study to decarbonise whiskey

The Port of Cromarty Firth in Scotland has partnered with a group of drinks and energy companies to launch a project to produce and supply green hydrogen for the Scottish whiskey making process.

The so-called Distilleries Project is part of wider plan to set up a hub in the Highlands, with the goal to produce, store and distribute green hydrogen to the region, Scotland and other parts of the UK and Europe.

The Port said the project is being privately funded by whiskey and spirits producers Glenmorangie, Whyte & Mackay and Diageo Plc (LON:DGE) and, on the energy side, Pale Blue Dot Energy Limited, a subsidiary of UK company Storegga Geotechnologies Limited, and ScottishPower, of Spanish utility group Iberdrola SA (BME:IBE).

The Cromarty Firth green hydrogen hub will rely on power supplied by existing and future offshore wind farms, as well as onshore schemes. According to the Port, up to 15 new offshore wind sites, among them a number of schemes just off the Cromarty Firth coast, are due to be developed in the coming years.

Glenmorangie, Whyte & Mackay and Diageo will use the hydrogen to decarbonise the heating of their distilleries and maltings located close to the Cromarty Firth.

The feasibility study for the Distilleries Project starts this month, with the partners expecting to complete it in June.

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