Centrica eyes Rough as world’s biggest hydrogen store
UK energy company in talks with government over £2bn plan to re-open natural gas storage site this winter and ultimately convert it to store hydrogen
Energy company Centrica is in “very encouraging” talks with the UK government over a £2bn ($2.4bn) proposal to restart the Rough offshore gas storage facility this winter and ultimately convert it into the world’s largest hydrogen storage sites, says CEO Chris O’Shea. Rough, a depleted gas field off England’s northeast coast that has been closed since 2017, has the potential to be a key enabler of the UK’s planned expansion of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity to 10GW by 2030, O’Shea told analysts on an interim earnings call. “We remain in active conversation with the UK government on the role this asset can play in the future of hydrogen, and we are very encouraged by the discussions,
Also in this section
5 December 2025
European Commission highlights rapid growth of Chinese production this year, as it retains strict procurement rules in latest European Hydrogen Bank subsidy auction
2 December 2025
Oil major cites deteriorating demand and a planning debacle as it abandons one of UK’s largest blue hydrogen projects
1 December 2025
Project at Emden in northwest Germany due online in 2027, but wider ramp-up of clean hydrogen sector in Germany will require overhaul of government policy, company warns
25 November 2025
The northwest African country’s vision of integrating green power, molecules and steel is alive and kicking, and serves as a reminder of hydrogen’s transformative potential






