National Highways Bootle compound: hydrogen power lessons for project teams
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Galliford Try is powering a National Highways construction compound in Bootle entirely with a green hydrogen fuel cell generator, a first for the agency and used instead of grid power or diesel sets on the £7m A5036 Dunnings Bridge Road/Park Lane pedestrian crossing scheme. The system has supplied three site offices, welfare facilities (toilets, kitchen, drying room) and two EV charging points continuously since works began in November, with completion due by Friday 12 June. For contractors, the pilot shows a practical off‑grid option for temporary compounds where grid connections are constrained.
Technical Brief
- Hydrogen fuel cell generator is configured as sole electrical source for the entire compound load.
- Compound supply covers continuous office operations plus welfare HVAC, lighting and small‑power demands.
- Two on‑site EV chargers draw exclusively from the hydrogen system, avoiding separate diesel or grid feeds.
- National Highways’ COO explicitly framed the trial for future roll‑out where grid connection is unviable.
- For similar roadside compounds, configuration suits constrained urban junctions where noise and emissions are sensitive.
Our Take
National Highways features heavily in our infrastructure coverage not just for carbon and hydrogen trials but also for safety and water quality work, suggesting its Bootle scheme will be scrutinised as a test case for how low‑carbon site compounds sit alongside other risk and performance targets.
Hydrogen appears in only a small subset of the 839 infrastructure stories in our database, so Galliford Try’s role here positions it among a limited group of UK contractors with live experience of hydrogen‑powered temporary works and EV charging on highways projects.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
