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NETWORK / 13 / JUNE 2019 GAS The growth of green gas Matt Hindle, head of gas at the Energy Networks Association (ENA), discusses the gas networks role in delivering net zero emissions by 2050. T he Chancellor's Spring State- ment in March may not have had the political or scal signi - cance of the Budget it replaced and it is fair to say that at the time, most MPs' were focused on trying to resolve Brexit. Yet, the conse- quences of his announcement on increasing green gas on the grid could be far-reaching – not least for Britain's gas networks and the wider heating sector they serve. As the voice of energy networks, we strongly welcomed the commitment to "require an increased proportion of green gas in the grid, advancing decarbonisation of our mains gas supply". This builds on the progress which the gas industry has made in connecting almost 100 biomethane plants to our networks, reducing emissions from heating with no change to heating systems or customer behaviours. The next line of the Spring Statement was harder to interpret: "we will introduce a Future Homes Standard, mandating the end of fossil-fuel heating systems in all new houses from 2025". This was a rare example of home heating in the newspaper head- lines with The Times saying "gas boilers will be banned" and the BBC reporting a "gas heating ban for new homes". With no further detail published by HM Treasury or the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how should we really interpret the announcement, and what does it mean for the gas networks' eŽ orts to enable low-carbon solutions which make the most of our infrastructure? In the broadest terms, it signals that the government is taking heat decarbonisa- tion seriously. Combined with BEIS' Clean Growth Strategy – Transforming Heating report published in December last year, it is the most signi cant policy thinking in this area since the introduction of the rst phase of the Renewable Heat Incentive. The speci cs of the policy proposal on new homes is harder to understand at this point. In contrast to the headlines, the Chancellor referred speci cally to "the end of fossil-fuel heating systems" but impor- tantly, green gasses in a variety of forms could still have a role to play – especially in combination with more energy e• cient homes and smart technologies such as hybrid heating systems. Indeed, in a statement to Parliament fol- lowing the recent climate change protests, Minister of State Claire Perry MP suggested that the focus of the policy was to "trans- form house-building in constituencies like mine where most homes are not connected to the grid". Where there are opportunities to build e• cient homes with smart heating and allow households to bene t from green gas supplies, we should be doing so – not least as the ultimate approach to decarbon- ising heat may well be regional. Finding the right mix of technologies and approaches, and developing a plan to deliver them, is the focus of ENA's Gas Decarbonisation Pathways project. It not only sets out the gas network companies' joint vision for cutting carbon emissions, but will analyse the steps required to decar- bonise our gas networks and help ensure we can meet a possible 'net zero' target. As the Committee on Climate Change has said, moving beyond an 80 per cent emissions reduction target for 2050 "changes hydrogen from being an option to an integral part of the strategy". The question is where, and when, does hydrogen conversion make sense? We cannot pretend to have all the answers now, but the Gas Decarbonisation Pathways project and the highly innovative projects led by the gas networks are provid- ing us with a deeper understanding of what could be possible. H21, Hynet, H100, Project Cavendish, the Freedom Project and other such examples are providing new learnings and directly informing policy options on hydrogen and smart hybrid heating between now and 2050. HyDeploy, led by a con- sortium including Cadent and Northern Gas Networks, is preparing to carry out live tests of a blend of up to 20 per cent hydrogen with natural gas from summer this year. The nal mix of technologies is hard to predict. But decarbonised gasses of- fer opportunities for both existing and new homes as we meet the challenge of delivering on a possible 'net zero' UK. least as the ultimate approach to decarbon- but will analyse the steps required to decar- we can meet a possible 'net zero' target. As the Committee on Climate Change has said, reduction target for 2050 "changes hydrogen from being an option to an integral part of answers now, but the Gas Decarbonisation Pathways project and the highly innovative projects led by the gas networks are provid- ing us with a deeper understanding of what could be possible. H21, Hynet, H100, Project Cavendish, the Freedom Project and other such examples are providing new learnings hydrogen and smart hybrid heating between "Decarbonised gasses offer opportunities for both existing and new homes as we meet the challenge of delivering on a possible 'net zero' UK. "