UK: Suntory discontinues plans for a hydrogen plant at Auchentoshan Distillery in Scotland

Suntory Global Spirits has discontinued plans to build a £60 million green hydrogen site at the Auchentoshan Distillery in Scotland after government funding was denied, The Drinks Business reported on June 9.

Suntory Global Spirits and partner Marubeni, a Japanese trading company, first announced plans to build a hydrogen plant to decarbonise whisky production in August 2024.

The plant was due to become part of Suntory’s Auchentoshan Distillery, a Lowland single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dalmuir, Scotland.

Suntory’s plans to build the hydrogen plant followed the company’s announcement in April 2024 that it had succeeded in the first direct-fired distillation trial using 100% hydrogen. The distillation, undertaken at its Yamazaki Distillery in Japan, was part of its WhiskHy project to carry out feasibility studies for green hydrogen-based decarbonisation technology at Beam Suntory-owned distilleries. The project was funded by the UK government’s Green Distilleries Competition.

Suntory and partner Marubeni applied for Government funding for the HyClyde Auchentoshan project in April 2024.

However, the plans received backlash from locals who feared that the instability of hydrogen could impact the health of people in the community and devalue their properties.

One resident, who spoke to the Clydebank Post, said: “It’s an unproven technique. They keep saying it’s cutting edge, and all I hear is experimental. Hydrogen is highly explosive, think of the Hindenberg disaster.”