Back to News >

Anglo American is playing its part in a local pilot scheme designed to help speed up the adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles in the UK.

The company behind the Woodsmith polyhalite mine, being built near Whitby and on Teesside, has taken delivery of two Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell cars to use in its operations on the project.

The cars form part of the £2.5m Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub scheme, which will see a raft of major employers including the police, health workers and industrial companies testing out a range of hydrogen-powered vehicles in real world situations, using a new refuelling station at Teesside International Airport.

Gareth Edmunds, Anglo American’s Corporate Relations Director said:

“We are excited to be testing hydrogen fuel cell technology on the Woodsmith Project,”

“Anglo American is an industry leader in researching and developing the use of hydrogen power in the mining industry. We hope that, by taking part in this demonstration project, we can show that the technology works and there is a demand for it here in the Northeast.”

The Hydrogen Transport Hub is being developed by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority in partnership with Teesside University and will form an innovation campus focused on clean energy research and development for cars, buses, trains, lorries, boats and planes. Tees Valley was announced as home to the UK’s first Hydrogen Transport Hub in September 2020.

Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley, said:

“The trial of these vehicles and refuelling station is an important step in helping our region to become the UK’s first net zero industrial cluster,” 

“We are at the forefront of developing cleaner, safer and healthier industries of the future , and it’s great that we have industry partners like Anglo American investing in our region to help us realise that vision.”

Anglo American has pledged to become carbon neutral across all global operations by 2040 and, through its Future Smart Mining programme, is pioneering several hydrogen initiatives around the world to help achieve that, including the development of hydrogen-powered mining trucks in South Africa and freight trains in Australia. The company also plans to generate hydrogen from electrolysis on many of its mine sites using renewable energy sources, and invests in a wide range of promising new fuel cell, hydrogen and energy-storage technologies and companies.

The Woodsmith Project currently employs over 1,000 people in Scarborough, Whitby and Teesside. It involves digging two 1-mile deep mine shafts at Woodsmith Mine near Whitby, and a 23 mile transportation tunnel to a processing facility and port on Teesside. Most of the surface infrastructure at Woodsmith Mine is being built underground and the site is being carefully landscaped in order to minimise the visual impact on the surrounding countryside. The mine will exploit a giant deposit of the mineral polyhalite, which will be sold as a natural, low carbon, environmentally friendly fertiliser.