A new green hydrogen test facility is set to be developed in Aberdeen, Scotland. German-headquartered certification and testing firm TÜV SÜD has been appointed operator under a collaboration agreement with UK-based ETZ, which is leading the facility’s development.
The Green Hydrogen Test and Demonstration Facility (GHTDF), located in the south of the city within the Energy Transition Zone, is expected to launch in early 2027. It will serve as the flagship site of Aberdeen’s Hydrogen Campus, offering open-access infrastructure to test hydrogen technologies including electrolysers, valves and meters.
TÜV SÜD will run the facility with a remit to support the safe and reliable scale-up of green hydrogen production and use. A final investment decision is expected in early 2026.
Martin McCormack, Director for CCUS and Hydrogen at ETZ, described the appointment of TÜV SÜD as a “major development for Aberdeen.” He said the facility would support the role of green hydrogen in decarbonising heavy transport, industrial processes, and potentially domestic heating.
The agreement builds on TÜV SÜD’s expanding role in the hydrogen sector. The company was recently authorised as one of the first certification bodies to operate under the EU’s CertifHy RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) Voluntary Scheme.
The certification system will allow the verification of sustainable hydrogen and e-fuels production in line with EU sustainability requirements. Only audits conducted by authorised bodies like TÜV SÜD will be valid under the scheme, which plays a key role in issuing Proofs of Sustainability required by EU legislation.
The Aberdeen project fits with the UK’s wider efforts to scale up hydrogen infrastructure and production. The UK government has committed up to £240m ($298m) through its Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and is targeting 10GW (gigawatts) of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, including at least 5GW of green hydrogen.
