Wienerberger UK & Ireland has secured funding through the UK Government's Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) to convert its Denton brickworks in Greater Manchester from natural gas to 100% green hydrogen firing — a project that will deliver a world first in commercial-scale low-carbon brick manufacturing, Fuel Cells Works reports.

The funding contributes to a £6 million onversion programme covering the retrofit of two tunnel kilns, the replacement of 224 natural gas-powered burners, and the installation of new hydrogen supply infrastructure alongside upgraded electrical and control systems — all without altering the structural integrity of the existing kilns.

Green hydrogen will be supplied under a 15-year Hydrogen Supply Agreement with Trafford Green Hydrogen, a venture jointly developed by Carlton Power and Schroders Greencoat, linked to the UK Government's Hydrogen Allocation Rounds funding scheme. Deliveries will arrive via tube trailers to a dedicated onsite offloading and pressure reduction station.

The conversion will proceed in stages, with one kiln fully operational on hydrogen — or both kilns partially converted — targeted for Autumn 2027, and the complete transition across the entire site scheduled to commence in Autumn 2028.

Once fully operational, the switch is projected to eliminate more than 11,600 tonnes of CO₂ per year at the Denton site, equivalent to a 9% reduction in Wienerberger Limited's annual Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions and sufficient to heat nearly 5,000 UK homes for a year.

Keith Barker, Chief Operating Officer at Wienerberger UK & Ireland, said: "Securing this funding represents a truly pivotal moment for both our business and the broader ceramics sector. This pioneering initiative is proof of what can be accomplished when industry, technology partners, and government join forces."

He added that the Denton project would "deliver substantial reductions in carbon emissions, whilst upholding product quality, production capacity, and operational robustness."

The Denton project sits alongside Wienerberger's installation of the UK's first fully electrified tunnel kiln for roof tile manufacturing at Broomfleet, reflecting a multi-technology decarbonisation strategy targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Explore the full scope of Wienerberger's hydrogen kiln project and its implications for heavy industry decarbonisation in the complete report.