Wienerberger Denton set to become world’s first hydrogen brick-kiln plant

Thanks to a £6 million conversion programme that will adapt the site’s existing natural‑gas‑fired brick kilns to run on 100% green hydrogen, Denton is set to become the first large‑scale hydrogen‑fired brick plant in the world.

Decarbonising heavy-clay manufacturing

Unlike burning gas in traditional kilns, burning hydrogen does not produce carbon dioxide, so hydrogen kilns represent a potentially significant step in decarbonisation for the UK’s high-energy heavy-clay manufacturing industry. While hydrogen firing of ceramics has already been demonstrated at pilot scale and hydrogen-fired bricks have been produced in trials, this will be the first industrial scale exploitation of the new technology.

Hydrogen firing has been identified by the government as a promising long‑term solution for high‑temperature industrial processes, and cash from the government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will part‑fund the plant conversion.

Performance will remain unchanged

Testing carried out through a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero-funded, cross-industry research programme led by Ceramics UK has given confidence that the strength, appearance and wider technical performance of the clay bricks will remain unchanged.

Because hydrogen burns very differently from gas, burners and controls need to be changed before a kiln can switch to hydrogen. The project includes the retrofit of two tunnel kilns - replacing 224 natural gas-powered burners with new hydrogen supply infrastructure, and upgrading electrical and control systems, without altering the structural integrity of the existing kilns.

Hydrogen will be supplied under a 15‑year hydrogen supply agreement with Trafford Green Hydrogen, jointly developed by Carlton Power and Schroders Greencoat. Deliveries will be made via tube trailers to a dedicated onsite hydrogen offloading and pressure‑reduction station.

Opening 2028

The target is for one kiln to be fully operational, or both kilns partially converted to hydrogen firing, by autumn 2027, with the complete transition to 100% hydrogen firing across the entire site scheduled to commence by autumn 2028.

Once fully operational, the switch from natural gas to green hydrogen is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions at the Denton brickworks by over 11,600 tonnes a year, which is equivalent to a 9% reduction in Wienerberger’s annual Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. The investment supports the firm’s long‑term strategy to reach net‑zero carbon emissions by 2050 and will help meet rising demand for lower‑carbon building materials across the UK. Wienerberger has embraced other new technologies in an effort to decarbonise, such as its electric tunnel kiln for roof tiles at Broomfleet.