The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) has allocated £1.76m of Local Growth Fund investment towards the construction of an access road to the UK’s first low and zero-emission refuelling station
The new road will enable HGVs, buses, taxis and vans to access the new low and zero emission refuelling hub at Tyseley Energy Park from the A45 Small Heath Highway in south-east Birmingham.
Birmingham City Council will pilot the use of 20 GBSLEP-funded, hydrogen-fuelled buses from March 2019, in a bid to tackle airborne pollution on key bus routes within the city.
The construction of the access road will see the creation of more than 135 jobs at companies linked to Tyseley Energy Park. It aims to attract up to five new businesses at the site.
The development forms part of the city’s plans to address the reduction of emissions to improve air quality and create a low emission re-fuelling infrastructure.
Ian MacLeod, Assistant Director for Planning and Regeneration at Birmingham City Council, commented: ‘Tyseley Energy Park represents a hugely significant milestone in the work we are doing to tackle air pollution in Birmingham, providing a low and zero-emission refuelling hub for a range of vehicles, including the fleet of hydrogen-fuelled buses we will be piloting next year.
‘I am delighted that we have been able to work with our partners to take this exciting project forward, bringing in valuable investment and, crucially, ensuring that we have the infrastructure in place to put cleaner, greener vehicles on our roads.’
David Horsfall, Director of Tyseley Energy Park Ltd, said: ‘By working in collaboration with world-class partners, Tyseley Energy Park presents a once in a generation opportunity to deliver green infrastructure that will drive forward change and attract major investment into the Tyseley Environmental Enterprise District.’
The total cost of the civils work for the low and zero carbon refuelling station is £3.89 million. The remaining £2.13 million has been sourced privately.
To date, Tyseley Energy Park has already seen the construction of a £50 million Biomass Power Station, which processes 72,000 tonnes of waste timber to power 17,000 homes.