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Hydrogen update
Hydrogen trials move into the next phase
Hydrogen economy roadmap
2022-2024
Production of small-scale electrolytic hydrogen for use in neighbourhood heat trials as well as some transport and industry applications.
2025-2027
Electrolytic production increases plus first largescale carbon capture and storage production, potentially for use in a village heat trial plus industrial use and heavy transport.
2028-2030
More large CCUS and large-scale electrolytic projects for wide use in industry, including the potential for a town heat pilot plus power generation and transport.
Mid-2030s onwards
Increase scale and range of production of hydrogen, including from nuclear and biomass, for use in wide range of applications – and the potential for converting the gas grid. Research and trials on the use of hydrogen as a potential replacement for natural gas in our homes and businesses are now moving into a new phase. Here we look at the progress so far and at the next steps.
With the first phase of the Hy4Heat project now complete, having proven successfully that it’s technically possible, safe and convenient to replace natural gas with hydrogen, the next steps are larger-scale trials in neighbourhoods and villages.
This phase to develop hydrogen as the superfuel of the future will see 28 projects across the UK, working across a range of different sectors and technologies. Projects will be focused on producing and transporting hydrogen, making it a more viable and affordable fuel for powering industry, including energy-intensive sectors which rely on expensive fossil fuels.
The government stated in its Hydrogen Strategy, published last autumn, that the 2020s will be critical in preparing people to get ready to use hydrogen, making the caveat that it’s intended to target those “energy users best suited to hydrogen as a lowcarbon solution”.
It says demonstration competitions and trials will be rolled out for the use of hydrogen in road freight, shipping and aviation; and in heating, beginning with a hydrogen neighbourhood trial by 2023, followed by a large hydrogen village trial by 2025, and potentially a hydrogen town pilot before the end of the decade.
The strategy states: “Working with industry, the UK’s ambition is for 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. This ambition is based on our understanding of the pipeline of projects that could come forward during the 2020s, and takes into account the challenges, constraints and costs involved in delivering this.
“As we work towards this ambition, we would hope to see the first gigawatt of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity in place by 2025.”
into the next phase
Choose the first hydrogen village
Minister George Freeman has welcomed the trials on a hydrogen village as being vital to gather the necessary evidence for a wider roll-out. He says: “We want to make sure that the trials lay the foundation for a wider nationwide roll-out.
“The BEIS-funded Hy4Heat programme has shown that the use of 100 per cent hydrogen can be made as safe as natural gas when used for heating and cooking in the types of houses that were studied.”
“[The trials] are designed to provide the government with the necessary evidence to take big strategic decisions on heating within a matter of two or three years. I know the ambition to go further and faster is shared by the Secretary of State, the Minister for Energy and the Prime Minister. It is not lack of political will that is holding us back.”
Ellesmere Port could be home to the UK’s first hydrogen village, which would see 2,000 properties in the Whitby area of the Cheshire town use hydrogen instead of natural gas for heating and cooking in 2025.
The proposal, put forward by Cadent and British Gas, is on a shortlist of two locations hoping to be the first to use hydrogen on this scale.
If Ellesmere Port is chosen, every property in the selected area will get free boiler upgrades to new hydrogen-ready versions and, for the duration of the two-year programme, they would pay the same to use hydrogen as they would for natural gas.
Marc Clarke, head of Hydrogen Consumer at Cadent, says: “We already know that Whitby has an unparalleled geographic location for hydrogen. The North-west is already on track to produce the low-carbon
hydrogen required for the scheme from Ellesmere Port’s HyNet project, and we have been undertaking work over the past few years to ensure the region’s pipes are ready to take hydrogen.”
Cadent and British Gas have written to all residents whose properties would be supplied with hydrogen, to explain the programme in more detail.
Ellesmere Port’s Stanlow manufacturing complex will produce, store, and distribute low-carbon hydrogen from the mid 2020s, as well as capturing and storing CO2 emissions from industry in the region.
And in the Redcar corner
Redcar is the other contender to be the first hydrogen village. NGN says it aims to switch the gas supply to hydrogen for around 2,000 homes and businesses in parts of Redcar including the town centre, Warrenby, Coatham and an area of Kirkleatham from 2025.
The plans involve producing hydrogen in Teesside, meaning Redcar would be self-sufficient, generating its own hydrogen locally, from renewable sources.
NGN chose Redcar because it lies within the East Coast industrial cluster, close to established energy infrastructure including hydrogen production and storage facilities. The varied housing in the local area is representative of homes throughout rest of the UK.
CEO Mark Horsley says: “Teesside has a proud industrial heritage and is now embracing the green industrial revolution with hydrogen production, bringing skilled jobs to the area.
“Heating homes and businesses with this home-grown hydrogen, which will be stored locally, is a logical step as part of our work to bring sustainable, affordable and secure energy supplies to customers and communities throughout the north of England. We are looking forward to engaging with the people and businesses of Redcar to develop our proposals further.”
Cllr Mary Lanigan, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, adds: “The proposed community plans are groundbreaking and I hope all people and businesses in the areas which will be identified will be happy to take part if it is approved by the government.
“The work that has already taken place on Teesside around developing the fuels of the future gives Teesside a great chance to be successful in pioneering this work. As a council, we are committed to becoming carbonneutral and schemes like this have the potential to make a significant difference in achieving this.”
Get the pipelines ready to transmit and store
SGN is to test the use of high-pressure pipelines for hydrogen transmission and storage. The project will be based in Grangemouth, Scotland, and delivered in partnership with chemical company INEOS, which has extensive manufacturing and infrastructure facilities in the region.
The Local Transmission System (LTS) is the critical infrastructure connecting towns and cities to the National Transmission System. Gas distribution networks manage around 11,000km of these high-pressure pipelines, which were originally designed to transport and store natural gas.
The LTS takes gas from the National Transmission System at a reduced pressure so that it can be transported directly to industry. It also feeds into gas distribution networks, after further reductions in pressure, to be used in homes and by businesses.
An important function of the LTS is to store gas when demand
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is low, so that there is resilient supply of gas covering peak times in the day and periods of cold weather.
A decommissioned pipeline in Grangemouth will be used to test and evidence whether it can adapt to carry pure hydrogen. Grangemouth is one of Britain’s largest industrial clusters and could be a key location for hydrogen production. The pipeline is statistically representative of Great Britain’s LTS, so will provide the blueprint for repurposing all the highpressure pipelines in the network.
SGN will research, develop, test and evidence the compatibility of the Grangemouth pipeline with hydrogen to get ready for the first repurposing trial and demonstration in 2024. INEOS will supply the hydrogen for the live trial.
NGN is carrying out similar work in the South Bank area of Teesside. Here, a network of existing natural gas mains will carry out standard gas operational procedures under 100 per cent hydrogen conditions for the first time.
The testing is taking place on disused land where gas pipes that once supplied homes on the site, while all still intact, are disconnected from the rest of the network.
The evidence will be used to understand any changes needed for the potential conversion of the gas distribution network to transport hydrogen.
Convert the capital
Cadent, SGN and National Grid Gas Transmission are to work together on study to transition London’s gas network to hydrogen. The study is the first stage of their Capital Hydrogen programme for the London and South-east region, which comprises a series of projects that will last for 15-20 years.
The stage will identify how much hydrogen London may need over the next 30 years, where it will be produced and stored, and how it will be transported to where it is needed.
Thames Estuary has potential for both low-carbon hydrogen production and use, decarbonising the industry and gas-fired power generators clustered nearby. Determining hydrogen demand in the capital will also help to stimulate production in nascent energy hubs such as those at Bacton in Norfolk and Southampton, and the feasibility study will look at how gas networks can help connect production and demand.
The research will conclude in October 2022.
