Forestry Commission tries ITM Power technology

SHEFFIELD-based green fuel company ITM Power has secured a deal which could lead to the creation of new types of "environmentally friendly" forest vehicles.

The Forestry Commission has signed an agreement to participate in the hydrogen on-site trials (HOST) of ITM's transportable high pressure refueling unit (HFuel).

The unit is being built with support from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and partners Gateway to London and Revolve Technologies.

Graham Cooley, ITM Power's chief executive, said: "We are delighted that the Forestry Commission, the largest land manager in Britain and the biggest provider of outdoor recreation, has agreed to join ITM's HOST programme in order to appraise the potential of ITM's technology to decarbonise forestry vehicles.

"It's all about producing a clean fuel at the point of use, addressing the important sustainability issue of eliminating the carbon footprint of the fuel supply chain.

"The HOST trials will play an important role in demonstrating the potential of ITM's HFuel technology to the land management sector particularly where the supply of fuel is an issue in remote areas.

"We expect companies from other sectors to be joining the HOST scheme in the near future."