Centrica will assist National Grid in developing procedures for injecting green hydrogen into the National Transmission System (NTS).
To achieve the UK government’s net zero carbon ambitions, the UK’s gas networks must decarbonize. National Grid, in collaboration with CNG Services, Element Energy, and Centrica, has been awarded £114,652 as part of Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) competition for a discovery phase project.
Currently, there is no official protocol in place for injecting green hydrogen into the NTS – in large part because the process is very new and has not been required.
While an established procedure exists for big entrance and exit connections, past innovation efforts have resulted in the development of a more efficient approach for smaller connections such as biomethane.
The first part of the project, which will last three years, will expand on prior work to fully understand what is required to construct a connection mechanism for injecting green hydrogen into the NTS. Additionally, it will conduct an economic analysis of both green hydrogen production and injection in order to guide the establishment of appropriate financial incentives.
If successful, this project (and any further stages) will enable surplus renewable energy to be utilized to generate hydrogen, which can then be injected into the natural gas network — an example of a ‘whole system’ approach to net zero energy.
Additionally, the initiative would almost certainly result in National Grid Gas Transmission including hydrogen injection in their connection policy, hence facilitating increased investment in green hydrogen production.
John Baldwin, Managing Director of CNG Services, said, “We are very pleased to support National Grid in this initiative which builds on the successful development of the biomethane market in the UK. The NTS is a particularly valuable asset for the creation of a Green Hydrogen market with prospects for significant investment in the next few years as Green H2 coupled with a Guarantee of Origin system helps I&C customers to replace the natural gas they consume.”
William Mezzullo, Head of Hydrogen at Centrica, said, “The ambition of this project is to help understand and overcome some of the barriers to realising an emissions free hydrogen gas grid. We see hydrogen as having an important role in helping our customers transition to net zero by 2050.”
Ian Walker, a Partner at Element Energy, said, “Transitioning to low carbon gases in the gas network has the potential to play a key role in decarbonising the energy system. In this project, Element Energy will assess the economics of producing green H2 for injection into the gas transmission network and identify the conditions necessary to make projects attractive to investors.”
This initiative is supported by energy network users and consumers through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a scheme operated in cooperation with Innovate UK by the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem.
