‘We could be hydrogen economy hub,’ says Martina Anderson as councils pitch Derry/Donegal to industry leader Buta Atwal of Ryse Energy

Senior officers from Derry/Strabane and Donegal councils and academics from local third level colleges also met with Mr. Atwal, who wants to develop a network of green hydrogen production plants across the UK.

Ms. Anderson said a strong case was made for investing in the city and district and she was hopeful conversations will continue with Mr. Atwal.

Last year as CEO of Wrightbus Mr. Atwal won a Department of Infrastructure contract to develop 80 Battery Electric Vehicles and 20 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. Some of these will be used in Derry.

After the meeting, Ms. Anderson told the ‘Journal’: “He sees the potential is there. The investors are ready to invest somewhere in the island. He needs to see all the ingredients in place.

“With Project Kelvin we have the fastest broadband on the island, we have two third level institutions, high wind speed, an established off-shore wind development industry and two ports and airports in one region that is a single place for investors.

“He was very keen to hear more and everyone who was on the Zoom call were keen to provide him with as much detail as they could.”

A factor in Derry’s and Donegal’s favour is the plentiful supply of wind energy which could be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen - by the process of electrolysis - to power fuel-cell buses.

Ms. Anderson said: “In Donegal you already have a wind academy in Killybegs. The things he is looking for are here. He knows what he wants and what he needs to service hydrogen buses. They know they need centres of excellence for hydrogen buses.

“To create opportunities with clusters of companies will depend on the cost of electricity, on the volume and capacity of the wind generation here. It is a fantastic opportunity if all the ingredients are there. My role is to promote and market Derry and make sure investors are seeing Derry for the potential that it has.”