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industry & Government news

FIRST BLENDING OF HYDROGEN

INTO GAS NETWORK ‘A SUCCESS’

HYDEPLOY CAN NOW MOVE TO THE NEXT PHASE

HYDROGEN CAN BE SAFELY blended demonstrated that the hydrogen blend their willingness to take part in this
into a domestic gas supply, a study into is suitable for use with domestic trial. HyDeploy is a ground-breaking
the first UK trial of the concept has appliances as well as larger commercial collaboration and has demonstrated
concluded, reports Utility Week. appliances including catering very clearly that consumers can safely
The report into the HyDeploy project, equipment and boilers up to 600kW. receive up to 20 per cent hydrogen
which injected hydrogen into a private The use of the hydrogen blend led blended with natural gas, without the
gas network serving 100 homes and 30 to no overheating of components or need to make any changes to their
faculty buildings at Keele University, says potential degradation of the gas cookers existing appliances.”
the blending project has been successful. involved in the trial. The project’s backers claim that
Under the HyDeploy project, a And laboratory tests showed that achieving a 20 per cent hydrogen blend
collaboration between Northern Gas the domestic appliances tested were in the gas network could save around
Networks (NGN) and Cadent, 20 per capable of operating safely on hydrogen six million tonnes of carbon dioxide
cent of the gas piped into the private concentrations of up to 28.4 per cent. emissions every year, which would be
network was hydrogen. In addition, all the pipework and the equivalent of taking 2.5 million cars
The project, according to the study, appliances were as leak tight with the off the road.
is the first time that hydrogen has been hydrogen blend as with natural gas. Mark Horsley, Chief Executive at
injected into a UK domestic gas grid since The fires retained the characteristic NGN, said: “The results delivered by the
1976, when town gas was phased out. flame colour of gas, albeit marginally Keele project gave the Health and Safety
Carrying out the trial marked the more subdued, and the project has led Executive the confidence to approve
first time that the Health and Safety to the development and field testing of the first blending of hydrogen with
Executive had granted regulatory a prototype detector by one of the major natural gas on the public gas network.
approval to operate a live gas network gas detection manufacturers. We’re delighted that our customers in
above the current hydrogen limit of 0.1 The study says the evidence base Winlaton are now using their gas as
per cent by volume stipulated in the gathered at Keele paves the way for normal while playing a vital role in the
Gas Safety (Management) Regulations. the next phase of the project, which decarbonisation of the gas network.
The trial delivered more than 42,000 involves the blending of hydrogen into “This next phase of HyDeploy will
cubic metres of ‘green’ hydrogen, a public gas network near Gateshead provide more vital evidence about
manufactured using electrolysers, serving 685 homes. the possibilities of blending hydrogen
which the study says abated over 27 Cadent Chief Executive Steve into the gas network across the UK,
tonnes of CO₂ emission. Fraser said: “I would like to thank as an important stepping-stone to
The report says the project the customers at Keele University for decarbonising heat.”

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