According to a National Gas trial, the UK’s natural gas network is ready to support hydrogen as a fuel for families and enterprises. Natural gas is currently the UK’s greatest energy source, accounting for one-third of electricity generation and a significant portion of home heating.
National Gas has established a “Hydrogen Focus Area” to investigate the integration of hydrogen into the UK’s energy mix, which will help the country achieve its objective of reaching net zero emissions and a cleaner power grid.
A prior Conservative government proposal advocated incorporating up to 20% hydrogen by volume into Britain’s gas networks. National Gas’ trial indicated “no issues” when blending hydrogen at concentrations ranging from 2% to 100%, implying that there are no significant barriers to repurposing the natural gas network for hydrogen.
The trial has now moved on to the second phase, which will look into hydrogen compression and the repurposing of gas turbines at compressor stations.
National Gas CEO Jon Butterwork remarked that the analysis indicates promise for hydrogen blending, which will help the UK government achieve its objective of becoming a sustainable energy superpower while utilising existing infrastructure. Despite the encouraging preliminary results, obstacles remain, particularly the high costs of green hydrogen production, which impedes wider adoption and deployment of hydrogen projects.
