The company has agreed terms with Silverwood Business Park Ltd for a 1.98-acre serviced site, with the lease running for 25 years.
Plans submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council outline a facility capable of processing up to 40 tonnes per day (TPD) of waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
According to Powerhouse, the plant would convert this material into hydrogen with a stated purity of 99.999%.
Commenting on the Lease Agreement, Paul Emmitt, Powerhouse CEO, said: “This is a major step forward for the Company.
“Ballymena is set to become the Hydrogen Hub of Northern Ireland, with the organisations including Wrightbus, Translink and the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council all focused on developing the hydrogen economy in Northern Ireland.”
The company first announced its expansion into Northern Ireland in July 2025.
Waste to Hydrogen plant
The proposed development would be owned and operated by Powerhouse, which is developing its waste-to-hydrogen technology for the treatment of residual waste streams.
The company said extensive design and engineering work has already been completed to support the planning application, with detailed drawings and renderings included as part of the submission.
Powerhouse indicated that discussions are already under way regarding both feedstock supply and hydrogen offtake, although no contracts have been confirmed at this stage.
The hydrogen produced is intended for a range of uses, including transport applications.
Next step: planning approval
The Ballymena site is located within Silverwood Business Park, an established industrial area, and would represent one of the first commercial-scale waste-to-hydrogen facilities proposed in Northern Ireland.
Planning approval will be required before construction can begin, and the application will be assessed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in line with local planning policy.
Powerhouse has not yet set out a construction timetable or commissioning date for the facility.
The company launched its Feedstock Testing Unit (FTU) for producing hydrogen out of waste plastics in March 2025, running a small “demonstrator unit” at the at the University of Chester campus in Cheshire ahead of developing the FTU.
The technology uses pyrolysis to break down waste into its chemical components in a rotary kiln.
Subscribe for free