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
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise






