National Gas has responded to today's government announcements and publications on hydrogen. Jon Butterworth, National Gas, CEO said:

"As an industry, it is incredibly positive to see the government responding to, and acting upon, the recommendation set out by the National Infrastructure Commission to develop a core hydrogen network, as described in the Hydrogen Transport and Storage Networks Pathway document. The scale of the gas transmission system cannot be overstated and we remain dedicated to our plans to develop Project Union, which will involving the repurposing of 2,000km of our over 7,500km of National Transmission System (NTS) to 100% hydrogen. 

"We are committed to working with the government and our partners to deliver this vision, and early phasing of our Project Union will be a critical enabler of the ambition outlined. As confirmed within today’s documents, the early build-out of regional hydrogen networks, connecting production and demand to suitable storage at scale by the early 2030s, will support the growth of a nation-wide hydrogen network. Last month we launched our East Coast Hydrogen Delivery Plan to demonstrate such a plan connecting the Teesside and Humber regions – the first phase of Project Union.

"While it’s great to see an indicative positive response on distribution blending, we now look to transmission too. The approval by government to blend in transmission would be the first step in a longer-term plan to develop a hydrogen backbone for Great Britain, which is why we urge the government to set out a realistic, practical timeline for decisions on transmission blending in early 2024. We are building the evidence for transmission blending at FutureGrid in Cumbria and, in order to cement the UK’s place as a global leader in hydrogen, it is critical that government provides industry with a clear direction that allows us to plan and keep pace with our international counterparts, and critically, guarantee our own security of supply. 

"We look forward to hearing more on CCUS decisions next week from the government. The route to net zero is one that needs to be realistic, to ensure that we all move there together, and CCUS will be an important tool at our disposal. We hope to see blue hydrogen built into initial CCUS plans, providing the vital bridge on the journey to a green hydrogen future. By taking a practical, phased approach, with hydrogen and CCUS we can ensure that we decarbonise the power system and protect industries and jobs up and down the country."

Notes

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published a series of documents on hydrogen projects and policy on 14 December 2023. These can be accessed from the following page: Major boost for hydrogen as UK unlocks new investment and jobs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)