Nottingham-based alternative-fuel hub receives £1 million investment

A recently announced investment of more than £1 million in Luxfer Gas Cylinders’ European base in Nottingham will be used to establish a new production facility to support ‘virtual’ gas pipelines that can distribute hydrogen throughout the UK and Europe.

Luxfer Gas Cylinders, which is a division of Luxfer Holdings Plc (NYSE: LXFR), is a leading manufacturer of high-pressure aluminium and composite cylinders and produces up to one million cylinders each year. It is home to ‘alternative fuel specialists’ that have embedded ‘world-first’ hydrogen-powered systems into buses, trucks, trains, boats, tractors and even drones.

This new purpose-built facility will produce Multiple Element Gas Containers (MEGCs), with the very first units available from the summer of next year. Available in 20, 40 and 45ft configurations, the G-Stor Hydrosphere range can store between 0.5 and 1.4 tonnes of clean gas and transport it to where it is needed, opening up access to hydrogen for companies targeting ‘greener’ operations.

Mark Lawday, vice president and general manager of Luxfer Europe, said: “This investment is the natural next step in continuing to build our European hydrogen capability and support the development of the hydrogen economy, which is going to be essential in enabling all of us to reach our decarbonisation goals in Europe in 2030 and beyond.”

With appropriate filling speeds and maximum gas capacity critical to suit different virtual gas pipeline requirements, Luxfer has drawn upon the engineering excellence of its global teams in the UK, Canada and North America, and can offer its trusted G-Stor Pro Type 3 cylinder, or the newly launched G-Stor Go Type 4 technology.

Alternative fuel systems
Mr Lawday added: “Thanks to our industry-leading G-Stor Pro Type 3 and Go Type 4 core cylinder technology, combined with decades of experience in alternative fuel systems design and development, we have a product range to provide customers with a choice of technology, module capacities and features, to match current and future needs.”

Nick Herbert, Luxfer Europe’s sales director, explained that ownership of core cylinder technology is fundamental to being able to meet customer needs. He said: “Because we can control the precise diameter of our cylinders through our proprietary liner manufacturing process, we can start with a blank piece of paper. It gives us the ability to develop the most efficient cylinder geometry to optimise our MEGC designs and deliver customers exceptional value.

“For example, our unit using Type 3 cylinder technology has significant operational and technical benefits, with a 5m height model for UK roads providing more storage capacity than other models on the market at a 4m road height — plus a lower cost per kg of gas storage.”

Luxfer Gas Cylinders has been operating for over 80 years, has sites around the world, and employs over 230 people from the Nottingham area at its European base. The new hub will see a number of additional jobs created at the Colwick site, as the facility ramps up its operations.

Tom Randall, Conservative MP for Gedling, attended the event to mark the beginning of the development of the Colwick site. He said: “I am particularly proud that a local company is playing its part in our country’s path to ‘net zero’ emissions. This new facility at Luxfer Gas Cylinders will help make hydrogen more affordable and accessible, and it will create new jobs in our community. This investment is a vote of confidence in our future, as well as demonstrating confidence in Colwick and in Nottinghamshire. I want to thank Luxfer for its leadership in this important area, it will help to make our country a cleaner and more prosperous place.”

The investment is just the latest commitment from Luxfer Gas Cylinders to support the hydrogen economy and champion alternative fuel adoption though virtual gas pipeline options. Earlier this year the company launched its G-Stor Pro Bundle — a multiple cylinder package (MCP) comprised of a modular, interconnected system of cylinders. It is designed to meet demand for smaller volumes of hydrogen gas, as a crucial stepping stone in the hydrogen supply chain.