Wienerberger has secured UK government-backed funding to enable a hydrogen kiln project at its Denton brickworks in Greater Manchester to proceed, marking a major step towards the decarbonisation of the UK’s heavy clay manufacturing industry. 

Backed through the UK Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IEFT), the funding will in part support a £6 million conversion programme that will transition the site’s existing natural gas fired brick kilns to run on 100% green hydrogen. According to Wienerberger, this will make Denton the first commercial scale hydrogen fired brick plant in the world.

Hydrogen firing has been identified by the UK Government as a promising long term solution for high temperature industrial processes. Denton brickworks now stand as the flagship deployment for the UK ceramics sector, providing a replicable blueprint for future decarbonisation across Wienerberger’s wider manufacturing network. 

The project includes the retrofit of two tunnel kilns, replacing 224 natural gas-powered burners, installing new hydrogen supply infrastructure, and upgrading electrical and control systems without altering the structural integrity of the existing kilns.   

Linked to the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HAR) funding scheme, 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.  

The target is for one kiln to be fully operational, or for both kilns partially converted to hydrogen firing by Autumn 2027. The complete transition to 100% hydrogen firing across the entire site is scheduled to commence in 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 11.6 ktCO2/y, equivalent to a 9% reduction in Wienerberger’s annual Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.

As Denton prepares for hydrogen-fuelled firing, its on-site teams will undergo training to enhance their skills, focusing on newly implemented safety systems and updated operational procedures. Meanwhile, thorough testing carried out through a DESNZ-funded, cross-industry research programme led by Ceramics UK provided confidence that the strength, appearance, and wider technical performance of the clay bricks will remain unchanged. This ensures that the switch to hydrogen firing will have no significant impact on product quality or performance. 

The Denton brickworks hydrogen kiln project forms part of Wienerberger UK & Ireland’s broader sustainability roadmap, which includes the installation of the UK’s first fully electrified tunnel kiln for manufacturing roof tiles at Broomfleet, showcasing the company’s multi-technology approach to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.