Hydrogen Infrastructure: Wienerberger’s Denton Plant Pioneers 100% Green Hydrogen Firing

You wouldn’t think of hydrogen when you hear “brick manufacturing,” right? Yet Wienerberger UK & Ireland is about to change all that. Thanks to a £6 million award from the UK Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, they’re retrofitting the Denton tunnel kilns to run on 100% green hydrogen supplied by Carlton Power at their Trafford hub. The result? Cutting more than 11,600 tonnes of CO₂ every year—like taking 5,000 homes off gas—and a big win for industrial decarbonization.

From Funding to Flames

For years, Denton’s twin tunnel kilns have lived on natural gas. Now, Wienerberger is swapping out 224 old burners for hydrogen-ready ones and adding the necessary offloading, pressure-reduction, and control upgrades. Here’s who’s behind the project:

• Wienerberger UK & Ireland: spearheading the retrofit.
• Carlton Power: providing green hydrogen from its 15 MW Trafford plant, under a 15-year offtake agreement.
• UK Industrial Energy Transformation Fund: covering a hefty slice of the £6 million capex.

How It Works

The magic lies in replacing the existing gas burners with specialist hydrogen kilns designed to keep flames stable above 1,000 °C. Engineers are overhauling controls and safety systems to handle hydrogen’s faster flame speed and lower ignition energy. Crucially, the kiln’s refractory lining stays exactly as it is, so the bricks see the same heat cycle—meaning strength, density, and finish aren’t compromised.

Strategic Implications

Beyond roughly a 9 % cut in Wienerberger’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions, the Denton retrofit serves as a blueprint for the wider ceramics sector. It ties into the UK’s Hydrogen Allocation Round—where Carlton Power landed a £241/MWh strike price—and leans on expanding hydrogen infrastructure in Greater Manchester. It’s a model for how regional hubs can link hydrogen production to local industry.

Lessons from the Field

DESNZ-backed research by Ceramics UK already showed hydrogen-fired bricks match their gas-fired counterparts in key performance tests, and Tarmac’s lime-kiln trials boosted confidence even more. Denton is the first full-scale commercial run, offering real insights on workforce training, logistics—tube trailers rolling in hydrogen for 15 years—and keeping costs in check.

Looking Ahead

Wienerberger expects the hydrogen kilns to be live by late 2028. Meanwhile, they’re also piloting an electric kiln at Broomfleet, building out a suite of decarbonization strategies. As regulations tighten and green building standards evolve, having low-carbon bricks could shift from a CSR badge to a genuine competitive edge.

In an industry long ruled by natural gas, Denton could kick off a new era of zero-emission ceramics. If it all pans out, we won’t just see bricks fired on green hydrogen—we may well watch the entire sector follow suit.