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industry & Government news

DIGEST UK HYDROGEN BLENDING

FOR PUBLIC GAS GRID
TRIAL GETS GO-AHEAD

THE UK’S HEALTH and Safety
Executive has given the go-ahead for
the country’s first trial for blending
hydrogen into a public natural gas
UK GOVERNMENT TO FACE LEGAL network, according to S&P Global Platts.
The HyDeploy project will deliver
CHALLENGE OVER SUPPORT FOR a blend of 20 per cent hydrogen into
the natural gas supply to Winlaton,
Gateshead, supplying 668 houses, a
OIL AND GAS IN NORTH SEA school and several small businesses,
for 10 months starting in August.
“The project will provide more vital
evidence about the possibilities of
blending hydrogen into the natural
gas network across the UK, as a
stepping-stone to decarbonising heat
with no disruption to customers,”
Northern Gas Networks Head of
Programme Management and H21
Project Director Tim Harwood said.
“We’ve engaged with the
community of Winlaton over the
past 18 months and, with the
support of the council, undertaken
safety checks on their appliances
to reassure residents that they can
continue to use their gas as normal
while playing a vital role in the
THE CASE IS EXPECTED TO BE HEARD BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR decarbonisation of the gas network.”
Existing gas appliances are
THE UK FACES a legal challenge over Court’s decision as “hugely significant”. designed to operate with a blend of
its continued support for fossil fuel “The government will now have to up to 23 per cent hydrogen, Northern
production in the North Sea after a case answer for why they have spent £3.2 Gas Networks said.
brought by a trio of climate activists was billion of public money on North Sea The trial in public gas networks
given the green light by the High Court. oil and gas companies since signing follows the first phase of HyDeploy
The activists, including a medical the Paris Agreement in 2015,” he told at Keele University, where project
student, a former oil refinery worker the newspaper. partners supplied a 20 per cent
and a businesswoman, will challenge “Instead of ‘maximising economic hydrogen blend in a closed natural
the government over a state-backed recovery’ of offshore oil and gas as gas network to 100 homes and 30
strategy to “maximise the economic the OGA proposes, the UK should be commercial buildings for 18 months,
recovery” of oil and gas in UK waters, leading the way by leaving fossil fuels in ending in spring 2021.
reports The Independent. the ground and boosting green jobs in HyDeploy consortium partners also
The Paid to Pollute group argues that the renewable sector.” include gas distribution network owner
a recent strategy from the state-owned The UK is facing a separate legal and operator Cadent, project developer
Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is unlawful threat over plans for a new oil field Progressive Energy and electrolyser
because it conflicts with the UK’s target in the North Sea which could be manufacturer ITM Power.
of net zero emissions by 2050 and approved before COP26, the global
encourages oil and gas production that climate summit taking place in
is not economic for the UK as a whole. Glasgow in November.
A High Court order said that activists The Paid to Pollute campaign is being
had “presented an arguable case” and supported by a number of environmental
that the claim for a judicial review of the groups, including Uplift, Greenpeace UK
strategy had “sufficient merit to grant and Friends of the Earth Scotland.
permission” to proceed to a full hearing. The OGA strategy came into
The case is expected to be heard force in February of this year. A
before the end of this year with a spokesperson said the state-owned
decision in early 2022. agency was “disappointed that the
Prof Peter Newell, a researcher of claimants are challenging the OGA
politics and environmental issues at the strategy while claiming to represent WINLATON IS AT THE CENTRE OF A HYDROGEN REVOLUTION
University of Sussex, described the High environmental interests”.

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11/08/2021 09:36
News.indd 1 11/08/2021 09:36
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