What Is The Yorkshire Energy Park Project Near Hull And When Will It Be Built?

Have you ever wondered what goes into building a huge new project from the ground up? Well, big things are happening over in East Yorkshire. On 10 Sep 2025, the developer behind the proposed Yorkshire Energy Park announced that things are moving along, with hopes to finally start building on the site in 2026.

This isn't just any old industrial estate; it's a massive project east of Hull that's set to become the UK's first freeport-based energy and technology business park. Imagine a place buzzing with cutting-edge companies, all focused on green energy and new tech. It's a pretty big deal for the area, promising thousands of jobs and a big boost for the local industry. But getting a project of this size off the ground is a long journey with plenty of hurdles to jump.

Getting the green light

The team behind the Yorkshire Energy Park has been busy laying the groundwork for years. The huge site, located at Hedon, already has outline planning permission for a whopping 850,000 square feet of buildings. What does that mean? It's like getting approval for the main idea of your house design before you've chosen the colour of the carpets. The big picture is sorted. This opens up 80 acres of commercial space for what they're calling 'environmentally conscious businesses'.

Think companies working on wind power, solar energy, or super-efficient tech. Jo Barnes, a managing director at one of the developers, Sewell Investments, shared some updates. "We are nearing a start on site, probably next year," she said. "There's a lot to clear in the way. We have self funded to this point and we need to secure significant funding to do the next stage." Getting a project like this started costs a fortune. So far, the developer has used its own money, but now it needs bigger funding to really get the diggers rolling.

They've already spent £6 million just on the grid connection - that's the giant plug socket needed to connect the whole business park to the national energy network. The energy distribution from the site will be a core feature. Barnes also mentioned that a new planning application has been approved, which is great news. "It enables us to get more scale and mass on phase one and change some arrangements on access, which is brilliant."

Who's on board and what are the challenges?

A major player in this whole scheme is a business called Vital Energi. This company is all about energy generation, storage, and distribution. They're planning to build an energy plant right there on the site, including something called a Combined Heat and Power plant.

This is a clever bit of kit that produces both electricity and useful heat from a single source, making it incredibly efficient and much better for the environment. With lively discussions happening with other potential tenants for the remaining part of the 212-acre site, it sounds like there's a lot of interest in this futuristic business park. But it's not all plain sailing. Building something this big involves a lot of different groups. Barnes explained the complexity: "The Humber Freeport has recently considered opening up our site and the ABP (Associated British Ports) site with some highway improvements because it is a public good and needs to be done otherwise it will stymie because that is expensive work." These highway improvements would cost around £12 million. It's a huge amount, but better roads would benefit everyone in the local industry. The site itself is owned by Hull City Council, but it falls under East Yorkshire's planning rules, and the main road is managed by the Highways Agency.

As Barnes put it, "it's not the easiest project in the world but development does take a long time." The developer has spent a lot of time talking to the local community in Hedon to address any worries they might have.

Let's talk about the nuclear reactor rumours

You might have seen some headlines flying around about a nuclear reactor being built at the Yorkshire Energy Park. It's the sort of news that definitely gets people talking. However, the developers have put out a very clear statement on their website to set the record straight. It's important to get the facts right on this one. Here's exactly what their clarification says:

• "CLARIFICATION: Yorkshire Energy Park has NOT signed an agreement to locate a small modular nuclear reactor on site, despite recent news reports claiming this is the case."
• "An international consortium, including Chiltern Vital Group and Freepan Holdings Corporation, have signed an agreement committing them to evaluating the feasibility of delivering a floating power station and small nuclear reactor to generate energy in the Humber, near Saltend, not at Yorkshire Energy Park."

So, while there are discussions about new energy generation technology in the wider Humber area, the specific site for the Yorkshire Energy Park is not involved. It's a completely separate plan being looked at by a different group of companies.

More than just an energy hub

The vision for the Yorkshire Energy Park is about creating a whole ecosystem, not just a collection of buildings. It's a massive project aimed at boosting the entire region. The plans are packed with amazing facilities that go way beyond a typical commercial space. Here's a look at what else is planned for the site:

• A top-tier data centre and disaster recovery suite. Think of a data centre as a super-secure digital library for companies' most important information. A disaster recovery suite is a backup office, ready to go if a company's main building has a problem like a fire or flood.
• Space for new companies to grow and get support.
• A national centre for education, training, and research.
• Modern sports facilities for the community to use.
• A massive 45 hectares of green space, ensuring the park is a pleasant place to be and supports local wildlife.

A big win for local jobs and the community

So, what does all this mean for the people living in East Yorkshire? The biggest and most exciting promise is jobs. Lots of them. The development of this brand-new business park is expected to create up to 4,480 new jobs. What's even better is the focus on local employment. The target is for 80 per cent of these jobs to go to people from the local area. This could be a game-changer for the local economy.

The required highway improvements are another example of how the project could benefit the wider community. Better roads make life easier for everyone, not just the businesses in the park. It's a long and complicated process, involving everyone from the developer to Hull City Council and the Highways Agency, but the potential payoff for the region is huge. The journey to get the site ready is a massive undertaking, but with work potentially starting in 2026, the future of energy and tech in the Humber is looking very bright indeed.