Centrica to support National Grid's green hydrogen project

To meet the net zero targets set by the UK government, the UK gas networks need to decarbonise. National Grid, alongside CNG Services, Element Energy and Centrica, have been granted £114 652 for a discovery phase project as part of Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) competition.

Currently, there is no formal process in place for injecting green hydrogen, made from electrolysis using surplus renewable electricity, into the NTS - in large part because it is a relatively new process and up until now it has not been required.

While there is an established process in place for large entry and exit connections, previous innovation projects such as this have led to the creation of an improved process for smaller connections such as biomethane.

The project, the first of three phases, will build on the outcomes of previous projects, to fully understand what is needed to establish a connections process for injecting green hydrogen into the NTS. Alongside this, it will review the economics of both green hydrogen production and injection, to inform the development of appropriate financial incentives.

If successful, this project (and the potential follow-up phases) will enable excess renewable electricity to be used to create hydrogen, which can then be injected into the gas network – an example of a ‘whole system’ approach to reaching net zero.

The project would also likely see National Grid Gas Transmission include hydrogen injection in its connections policy and would create the necessary conditions for increased investment in green hydrogen production.

This project is funded by energy network users and consumers through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a programme from the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem, managed in partnership with Innovate UK.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/09032022/centrica-to-support-national-grids-green-hydrogen-project/