Supporting South Ribble and Lancashire’s net zero journey
How will Samlesbury Net Zero work?
The project at Samlesbury will see a state-of-the-art green hydrogen production facility (HPF) constructed right next door to the existing brewery on land owned by the Budweiser Brewing Group.
Green hydrogen is created through a process called electrolysis, where electricity from renewable sources is used to split water (H₂O) into its component parts – hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂). There are no carbon emissions released during the production of green hydrogen.
Once produced, the hydrogen will be fed directly to hydrogen-ready boilers allowing the brewery to meet the thermal demand of its brewing processes, as well as its other heating requirements.
It will also supply an on-site hydrogen refuelling station for use by hydrogen-ready heavy goods vehicles. These fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) only emit water vapour while filtering particulate out of the air as they move. The heat from the HPF will also be recovered and used in Budweiser’s bottling process.
Learn more about green hydrogen.
The facility will save up to 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year – the equivalent of removing the annual emissions of 5,800 cars or planting 440,000 trees.
An investment in the future of Samlesbury brewery
Budweiser has been brewing some of the nation’s favourite beers including Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona at Samlesbury for the last 50 years.
The facility will help Budweiser meet its Sustainability Goals which includes 100% of its electricity throughout its worldwide operations coming from renewable sources.
The project also reaffirms Budweiser Brewing Group’s long-term commitment to the site as a significant local employer. It will also create a blueprint for the future of the brewing industry.
“Sustainability is core to our business at Budweiser Brewing Group as we work towards net zero ambitions. Innovative solutions like hydrogen have huge potential for reducing our carbon footprint in the UK and moving us towards our ambitious sustainability goals.”
Luiz Brandao, Head of Procurement and Sustainability at Budweiser Brewing Group
The diagram below shows an overview of how the process would work at the site. See our FAQ section for more project information.
What the site could look like
These images are an architects impression and subject to change
Who we are
Protium is a UK‐based green hydrogen energy services company. Founded in 2019, Protium’s mission is to enable UK industries and local government to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions.
To achieve this, Protium develops, builds and finances renewable energy and green hydrogen infrastructure to manufacture zero-emission hydrogen from water and renewables.
Our Samlesbury Net Zero team
Vicky Paley
Lead Project Manager
I am the project manager for the Samlesbury Net Zero Project. My role is to make sure the project is delivered safely and provides all its promised benefits including reduced CO2 emissions, improved local air quality and training and education opportunities for the local community. We aim to make our projects part of the fabric of the communities where they are located, and I am looking forward to working with the community of South Ribble through the delivery of this exciting project.
Dr Yaying Chen
Lead Engineer
I am a chartered chemical engineer, who has worked on plant design for sustainable processes, and traditional chemical industries, from conceptual and feasibility studies to FEED, EPC, technical evaluation, and onsite support over a decade. Since my PhD, I have been employed by world leading technology and service providers including Johnson Matthey, Wood and McDermott. As the lead engineer on the Project, my main responsibilities are to oversee plant design, modelling, and optimisation of the green hydrogen production facility. My particular focus is to ensure our plant is equipped with adequate safety system and protection layers, and enable safe deliver of decarbonisation solutions to the environment, to the communicate and to our clients.
Simon Ritson
Project Manager
My main roles for the SNZ project are leading on delivering the electricity grid connection required for the project and managing the utilities infrastructure around the site. I will also be responsible for coordinating the safety permits required for a green hydrogen project, pulling together expertise from Protium’s in-house Engineering team and industry leading external consultants. Our aim is for SNZ to be a long-term, safety driven project, embedded into the Samlesbury and South Ribble community.
Eliza Hamer
Stakeholder Manager
My key focus for the SNZ project is to work with our stakeholders and the local community of South Ribble to manage and mitigate the social and environmental impact of the project. Putting people and place at the heart of my work, we will be working with you to inform the best design for both the environment and community. An example of some of my work for this project will include public consultation, green hydrogen education workshops, biodiversity management, local skills development plan and life cycle assessments; to ensure that this project benefits our environment, community, economy and our future.
Osian Rees
Project Engineer
My primary focus for the SNZ project is supporting the technical development of the Hydrogen Production Facility. Green hydrogen offers a fantastic means to decarbonise industry in the UK and I am very excited to be involved in such an important project for the region and the nation as a whole. Embedding safety into the design and delivering the project in the most environmentally conscious way is something I am very passionate about. To achieve this, I will be working closely with our experienced engineering partners to derive the best solution.
Pia Diepman
Assistant Project Manager
My main role for the Samlesbury Net Zero project is to lead the planning and environmental permitting applications. For this, I’ll be working very closely with our team of local planning, stakeholder, and environmental consultants to deliver a project that will help The Brewery, South Ribble and Lancashire meet their net zero goals. Throughout the planning application the team and I will be here to answer your questions and listen to your opinions, to ensure that the local community will be at the heart of this project.