Star Energy has formally surrendered the environmental consent that would have allowed hydrogen production at the Albury Park gas site near Guildford, the Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed.
The company had sought permission in 2022 to vary its permit to include a hydrogen production process using steam methane reforming with gas drawn from the Albury-1 well. That variation, and a proposed medium combustion plant, were added to the site permit amid a broader push to develop hydrogen projects in the UK. However, in 2023 Surrey councillors unanimously rejected the planning application for manufacturing so-called 'grey' hydrogen from methane.
In April 2026 Star Energy applied to surrender the hydrogen variation. The EA said it has accepted a partial surrender of the permit, noting there had been no hydrogen production and no associated plant constructed on site.
“We have determined this is an application to remove authorisation to carry on an activity which has not been put into operation.”
What remains authorised at Albury
The EA emphasised that the surrender only removed the authorisation for hydrogen production. The remaining permit continues to permit a range of activities at the site including:
- Flaring of gas
- Use of an electricity generator fuelled by methane
- Receipt, storage and handling of raw materials used in the production process
- Management of extractive waste
The formal boundary of the site remains unchanged, and official data show the well continues to produce small volumes of gas. In 2025 the site yielded 1,648 ksm3 (thousand standard cubic metres), an average of 137 ksm3 per month.
| Year | Total gas produced (ksm3) | Average per month (ksm3) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,648 | 137 |
Local context and implications
The surrender brings to a close a chapter that saw local controversy. Councillors opposed the proposal in 2023 on planning and environmental grounds, reflecting wider public concerns about producing hydrogen from fossil fuel feedstocks without carbon capture and storage. While proponents argue that hydrogen can play a role in the energy transition, the Albury case underlined tensions between local planning decisions and national policy ambitions.
For residents and local authorities the practical outcome is that Albury will continue its existing operations under the remaining permit conditions. There is no recorded hydrogen activity at the site to date, and the EA’s acceptance of the surrender confirms there is no immediate change to permitted gas operations.
Any future proposals to introduce hydrogen production or materially different industrial activity at Albury would require fresh planning permission and corresponding changes to the site permit. Local planning committees and regulators would again be central to assessing such applications.
This Gazette will continue to monitor developments at Albury and any further applications or variations related to energy production on the site.
