SSE Renewables has confirmed that it has withdrawn from a consortium to build a hydrogen gas hub in the Port of Galway.

The renewables company, which owns the Galway Wind Park, among other projects, was a lead partner in the Galway Hydrogen Valley project, which was announced by former Taoiseach Micheál Martin in April 2022.

However, Galway city councillors have been told that Bord na Móna will replace SSE Renewables in the consortium.

The consortium has six other members – University of Galway, the Port of Galway, CIÉ Group and Bus Éireann, Aran Islands Ferries, Lasta Mara Teo and Aer Arann Islands.

In a statement, SSE Renewables said that it came to the decision to withdraw from the application for European funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership for the Galway Hydrogen Valley last year.

"With regard to the development of a hydrogen production facility at [Galway] Port, emerging complexities with the grid connection for the project and the associated design, has meant our plans to produce hydrogen at the port were no longer viable,” the statement said.

“For that reason, we could not continue with the development as planned,” it said.

"SSE is continuing to explore opportunities to develop other hydrogen projects,” it said.