Hydroglen Renewable Energy Plant

Description

HydroGlen is a sustainable green hydrogen and climate positive farming community demonstration and agricultural research project, being developed by the James Hutton Institute & Partners (JHI) at the Glensaugh research farm near Fettercairn, Laurencekirk, Scotland. HydroGlen will combine the on-site generation of renewable energy (utilising wind and / or solar generation) and hydrogen production via electrolyser, with energy storage of compressed hydrogen and electric battery. Vehicle refuelling for both hydrogen and electric vehicles is included in the concept, and the overall objective is for the full farm electricity, transport and heating fuel to be displaced by the HydroGlen system. HydroGlen will provide a scalable and replicable model for farming and other rural communities to become self-reliant, low-carbon energy producers and exporters, generating 100%+ of their electricity, heating and transport fuel energy requirements from renewable sources. JHI has a total budget of GBP3.5m (including VAT) for the HydroGlen project. The feasibility of how the overall goals of the HydroGlen project can be achieved within the total budget of GBP3.5m (including VAT) will be discussed with bidders during dialogue. A more detailed description of the proposed procurement and JHI's overall objectives for the HydroGlen project are set out in the Initial Descriptive Document, which is available at the address set out at section 1.3. JHI's overall ambition for the Hydroglen project is to demonstrate that it is possible to take an existing operational farm and make it 100% self-reliant based on a combination of on-site generated renewable energy, fuel cells and energy storage involving batteries and hydrogen. The site energy requirements include residential and commercial loads as well as the needs of planned electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell cars and machinery which will use HydroGlen as a testing facility. The objective is that by utilising renewable energy and hydrogen, the daily facility electricity demands are covered but as well that on-site hydrogen is generated through electrolysis with the net excess of renewable energy production. It is also intended that HydroGlen is operated in such a way, with a focus on modularity, that the HydroGlen solution can be scaled up or down in accordance with the individual requirements of other farms. More specifically a successful outcome will entail HydroGlen producing sufficient renewable energy over a 3-month operational period (including commissioning) to demonstrate it has generated more than Glensaugh Farm’s net energy usage equivalent over the same period via renewable energy generation sources, while producing green hydrogen via electrolysis and successfully compressing, storing, and then reconverting to electricity via fuel cell. The operation of the commissioned HydroGlen project will not interfere with or materially disadvantage the normal operations on Glensaugh farm. JHI wishes to procure a partner to progress the HydroGlen project over the course of 2024 and 2025. The Technical Specification will set out the successful outcome required for HydroGlen but will not mandate how that successful outcome will be achieved. Bidders' proposals will be required to demonstrate that their bid solution meets the outcome-based goals of JHI but the overall design and approach to delivery (including recommended systems, key equipment capacity and configuration) will be for the bidder to specify. Acknowledging that this is a proof-of-concept project, bidders will only be asked to commit to a fixed price for the initial design development work in their bids. However, as part of the technical (quality) submission, bidders will also be required to provide an estimated cost for the project which will be assessed by JHI for deliverability. Once the detailed design work has been completed, the contractor will be required to propose a fixed cost for the delivery of the HydroGlen project and will be obliged to procure the project for that fixed cost acting as the EPC contractor. The fixed cost must not be more than the total budget. It is expected that bidders will want to use the concept design work undertaken on behalf of JHI by ITPEnergised and Thornton Tomasetti to develop their own proposals for the HydroGlen project subject to such proposals being capable of meeting the overall objectives of JHI for HydroGlen. JHI has a total budget of GBP3.5m (including VAT) for the HydroGlen project. The feasibility of how the overall goals of the HydroGlen project can be achieved within the total budget of GBP3.5m (including VAT) will be discussed with bidders during dialogue and inform bidders' proposed solutions. It is anticipated that the appointed EPC contractor will progress its preferred solution pursuant to the terms of the EPC Contract to an approved detailed and coordinated design (for which it will be responsible) and this design will then be delivered on a turn-key basis.