Pioneering the ‘world’s first’ hydrogenpowered commercial kitchen

National Gas Metering maintains and manages over six million gas assets across the UK, ensuring they remain safe, reliable and efficient for customers. As well as providing a broad range of metering services, it has recently pioneered a working industrial kitchen prototype, fuelled purely by hydrogen.

At the forefront of the nation’s transition to a clean, sustainable energy future, National Gas Metering’s Hydrogen Solutions by ngm is developing and deploying cutting-edge hydrogen technology, that is expected to play a significant role in the UK’s net-zero journey.

The kitchen produces no harmful CO2 emissions at point of combustion and removes the risk of potentially deadly Carbon Monoxide leaks. Three stand-out functions include: Test facility - providing a real-world environment, supporting development of the installation and operation of domestic and commercial hydrogenrelated assets/appliances and associated hydrogen infrastructure; Showcase - providing demonstrations to industry and government stakeholders, helping them better understand how hydrogen can be used safely, while informing decarbonisation strategies; Community project - partnering with a charity to support local community needs, providing facilities to cook food on lowcarbon hydrogen.

This kitchen is a world first and represents a step forward in the use of hydrogen fuels, enabling the company to participate in important policymaker conversations concerning the future of hydrogen.

Metering Head of Commercial, Simon Jamieson, said,“This is an exciting moment on our hydrogen journey and a testament to how multi-partner collaboration can come together to develop solutions that support energy futures.”

Having been completed in 2024, the model hasn’t yet been replicated industrywide. However, with an imminent high-profile launch planned of Hydrogen Solutions by ngm, National Gas Metering is confident that it will blaze a trail for the hydrogen revolution.

For the next 12-18 months, Metering will work on promoting the kitchen and its wide range of H2 solutions, delivering a comprehensive test plan which will provide vital resource and development into the IGEM ‘H’ standards and support investigation into safety systems and technical requirements.

Already we have had a number of top class chef’s use the kitchen and cooking a variety of food types, putting the kitchen through it’s paces to test the output of the facility, with each chef proclaiming the ease of use and no differences in the food quality, our chefs feedback that food even cooks a bit quicker.

There is potential for the kitchen to reach more industries, with exciting news from its partner Falcon Food Services that is already conceptualising pop-up kitchens at festivals, along with other bigger industry projects.

Having only launched in March 2024, the kitchen is in its very early stages. It may be a while before the full model is rolled out, however, workshops, seminars and thought-leadership initiatives around hydrogen have already begun.

Hydrogen is set to play a vital role in the future of sustainable practices, and in the UK’s decarbonated netzero-energy system. Metering is constantly adapting and moulding to the ever-changing environment ensuring it meets the needs of businesses and consumers globally. The kitchen represents a milestone in the company’s history, and a huge step forward in the use of hydrogen fuels.

To find out more about hydrogen solutions by ngm visit the website: https://metering.nationalgas.com/ services/hydrogen-services