World’s first commercial-scale hydrogen-fired kiln  

Wienerberger UK & Ireland has successfully secured Government-backed funding that will enable its ‘landmark hydrogen kiln project’ at its brickworks in Denton, Greater Manchester to proceed, thereby ‘marking a major step’ towards the decarbonisation of the UK’s heavy clay manufacturing industry. 

Backed through the UK Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IEFT), the funding will part support a £6 million conversion programme that will transition the site’s existing natural-gas-fired brick kilns to run on 100% ‘green hydrogen’ and make it the first commercial-scale hydrogen-fired brick plant in the world.

Hydrogen firing has been identified by the UK Government as a promising long-term solution for high-temperature industrial processes. The project includes the retrofit of two tunnel kilns, namely: replacing 224 natural gas-powered burners, installing new hydrogen supply infrastructure, and upgrading electrical and control systems — all without altering the structural integrity of the existing kilns.

Pressure-reduction station
Via the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HAR) funding scheme, hydrogen will 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 via tube trailers to a dedicated on-site hydrogen off-loading and pressure-reduction station.

The target is for one kiln to be fully operational, or both kilns partially converted to hydrogen firing by the autumn of 2027. The complete transition to 100% hydrogen firing across the entire site is scheduled to commence in the autumn of 2028. Once fully operational, the switch from natural gas to ‘green hydrogen’ is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions at the Denton works by over 11,600 tonnes per year, equivalent to a 9% reduction in Wienerberger’s annual Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.

Keith Barker, Wienerberger UK & Ireland’s chief operating officer, said: “Securing this funding represents a truly pivotal moment for both our business and the broader ceramics sector. This pioneering initiative is proof of what can be accomplished when industry, technology partners, and the Government join forces. The Denton project will deliver substantial reductions in carbon emissions, while upholding product quality, production capacity, and operational robustness.”