Sainsbury’s is claiming a UK supermarket first with the installation of a forecourt hydrogen dispenser, which will be installed on its Hendon store by the end of the year. 

Working with hydrogen infrastructure specialist Air Products, Sainsbury’s says the SmartFuel station will be able to fuel a growing number of hydrogen-powered fleets driving around London. 

Avishai Moor, Sainsbury’s fuel & kiosk category manager, said: “Hydrogen vehicles are both environmentally friendly as well as efficient, so we are really excited about being the first UK supermarket to trial this new technology and make it accessible to our customers.”

Diana Raine, Air Products’ hydrogen energy business manager said: “Making hydrogen technology available at a supermarket for the first time is another big step in encouraging the use of cleaner, greener fuels to reduce air pollution and protect the nation’s health.

“We’re already leading the charge with a network of hydrogen stations across London and this additional station will set us in good stead for the UK arrival of commercially available hydrogen vehicles over the next few years.”

Owned and operated by Air Products, the 700-bar SmartFuel station is being delivered as part of a project aimed at creating the UK’s first hydrogen transport system. The London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LHNE) project, backed by UK government, is co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK). TSB first supported LHNE in 2012 as part of a £7.5 million initiative to accelerate the commercialisation of projects involving fuel cells and hydrogen energy systems. Its aim was to link smaller-scale projects together to form complete low-carbon solutions.