Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | MARCH 2021 | 41 Operational Excellence Plotting the course toBritain's fi rsthydrogentown The ENA's Hydrogen Network Plan is a comprehensive roadmap setting out how the gas distribution companies can convert the UK's existing gas network to carry hydrogen – and become a world-beating pioneer in the process. Opinion Chris Train B ritain stands on the cusp of a world-leading hydrogen revolution, and one which we are almost uniquely positioned to take advan- tage of. With an extensive gas grid, huge amounts of o shore wind resource and liquid energy mar- kets, there are few other places as well positioned as the UK to lead the international race to build a hydrogen economy. Published as part of Energy Networks Asso- ciation's Gas Goes Green programme, Britain's Hydrogen Network Plan will play a vital role in delivering the UK's ambitions for hydrogen, as set out in the prime minister's 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution. The plan sets out how Britain's gas network companies will ful… l their commitment to transi- tion the country's gas networks away from deliver- ing natural gas to delivering hydrogen instead. As such, it provides a roadmap for how Britain's … ve gas network companies will ful… l their commit- ment to help the UK meet its hydrogen ambitions, including those set out in the prime minister's November announcement. That includes how gas net- work companies will progress to be ready to start blending up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the gas grid by 2023 and how they will help deliver the UK's … rst "Hydrogen Town" by 2030. It also shows how this transi- tion will enable Britain to decarbonise hard-to-reach sectors such as indus- try, heavy transport and domestic heating, integrating higher volumes of renewable electricity generation and saving an estimated 41 mil- lion tonnes of CO2 a year – eliminating around 12 per cent of the of the UK's total CO2 emissions as we move towards net zero. Conversion of much of the overall gas network to hydrogen is the best way to allow hydrogen to reach all the users who will need it. A full role for hydrogen in decarbonisation is estimated to create 195,000 jobs overall, of which 75,000 jobs and £18 billion of economic value-added would be created by 2035, supporting the UK's post-Covid green economic recovery. All … ve of Britain's gas network companies, responsible for owning and operating £24 billion of critical national energy infrastructure, are com- mitting, through this plan, to delivering this work. It forms a key part of their ambition to build the world's … rst zero carbon gas grid, here in the™UK. Britain's Hydrogen Network Plan is founded on four tenets that will underpin the role of Britain's gas network infrastructure in a hydrogen economy. These tenets reš ect the breadth and scale of the impact that the transformation of our gas networks will have. They will guide how gas network companies ensure people's safety in a fast-moving and changing energy system. They reš ect how the companies will maintain security of supply to our homes and businesses, as we move away from the natural gas that has been the bedrock of our energy system for half a century. They will support the public's ability to choose the right technology, so households and businesses can choose the low carbon technolo- gies that are best suited to their needs. And they will deliver jobs and investment, so the transition of our gas networks has a lasting and endur- ing economic impact in communities across the™ country. As we look to the future, the exciting role that hydrogen has to play in delivering a net zero economy is becoming increasingly clear. We look forward to working closely with the customers we serve, the government and the wider energy industry to turn that ambition into reality. Chris Train, Gas Goes Green Champion, Energy Networks Association gas network companies will ful… l their commit- ment to help the UK meet its hydrogen ambitions, including those set out in the prime minister's November announcement. That includes how gas net- work companies will progress to be ready to start blending up to 20 per cent hydrogen into the gas grid by 2023 and how they will help deliver the UK's … rst "Hydrogen Town" by 2030. It also shows how this transi- tion will enable Britain to decarbonise hard-to-reach sectors such as indus- try, heavy transport and domestic heating, integrating higher volumes of renewable electricity generation and saving an estimated 41 mil- Britain's gas network infrastructure in a hydrogen economy. These tenets reš ect the breadth and scale of the impact that the transformation of our gas networks will have. They will guide how gas network companies ensure people's safety in a fast-moving and changing energy system. They reš ect how the companies will maintain security of supply to our homes and businesses, as we move away from the natural gas that has been the bedrock of our energy system for half a century. They will support the public's ability to choose the right technology, so households and businesses can choose the low carbon technolo- gies that are best suited to their needs. And they will deliver jobs and investment, so the transition of our gas networks has a lasting and endur- ing economic impact in communities across the™ country. As we look to the future, the exciting role that hydrogen has to play in delivering a net zero economy is becoming increasingly clear. We look forward to working closely with the customers we serve, the government and the wider energy industry to turn that ambition into reality. Chris Train, Gas Goes Green Champion, Energy Networks Association "Conversion of much of the overall gas network to hydrogen is the best way to allow hydrogen to reach all the users who will need it"

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