Network

NETWORK / 21 / DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 with the effective maintenance of appliances, with the correct installation of a CO alarm being treated as a secondary safeguard, rather than as the sole preventative measure. SGN is recommending a review of CO awareness campaigns to ensure focus is targeted at areas that offer the most cost- effective and real risk reductions, such as appliance maintenance, servicing and replacement. The frequency and nature of appliance servicing should be reviewed and opportunities to improve appliance performance should be explored. A number of options range from a focused CO campaign, targeted appliance inspection and replacement via scrappage schemes, to periodic appliance servicing. Permanent GS(M)R Exemptions for the SIUs SGN owns and operates four mainland Scottish Independent Undertakings (SIU) in Oban, Wick, Thurso and Campbeltown. These are not connected to the main gas grid, rather they are supplied by regasified LNG. This has been obtained from one of the four LNG liquefaction facilities across GB. All four facilities have closed or were due to close by 2018, leaving SGN with no compliant supply option post-2018. It was determined that the most viable solution was to install nitrogen ballasting facilities at the four mainland SIU sites. The closure of the last facility was brought forward to 2016, while the ballasting facilities will not be ready until 2018, so SGN sought exemptions for all four sites. This has been granted until April 2018, but due to the success of the Oban project it is recommended that the exemptions be made permanent. Further works The following recommendations for further work are made as part of the roadmap for GB rollout. 1. Study the impact of gas quality changes on industry and large commercial gas fired equipment 2. Study on the impact of gas quality changes on the National Transmission System 3. Report on findings from wider SIU appliance inspections Impact of gas quality changes on industry and large commercial gas fired equipment Large commercial and industrial appliances were out of the scope of the project because there are no such appliances located within the Oban network. While it is broadly accepted that industrial and commercial gas-fired equipment is more tolerant because of the investment in more sophisticated process control, certain production processes could be affected by gas quality changes. Appropriate evidentiary requirements should be identified and projects scoped by the IGEM Gas Quality Standard working group. This should include a commercial impact analysis both of the change and the cost of delay. Impact on National Transmission System National Grid Gas Transmission is conducting a project to understand the likely impact of different gas specifications on existing and future national transmission system and operations. Report on findings from wider Scottish Independent Undertakings appliance inspections As part of the exemptions for the four SIUs being granted, SGN inspected all 5,981 appliances in the remaining SIUs to confirm that they are installed, serviced and operated correctly, and rectify correctly. It is suggested that a full report detailing the findings of the appliance inspections is produced, adding to the insight provided by Oban into appliance health. N SGN's mainland Scottish Independent Undertakings There is a growing body of evidence around the potential offered by low carbon gases – such as hydrogen, biomethane and bioSNG – to decarbon- ise aspects of the UK's energy supply. Carbon Connect has just launched its most recent research project: the Future Gas Series. The three-part report series will strive to tackle some of the remaining challenges (both practical and regulatory) facing the future of low carbon gas, and will make a number of contributions to the evidence base. A report in July by KPMG high- lighted the range of roles that low carbon gas could play in our future gas networks. Similarly, the H21 Leeds City Gate project from Northern Gas Networks has shown the technical feasibility of replacing natural gas with hydrogen in our gas grid. Encouragingly, this conversation is slowly gaining awareness in Parlia- ment. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) recently highlighted the need for further examination of hydrogen and gas grid options. Jenny Hill, Senior Analyst for Heat at the CCC Secretariat said: "Heat decarbonisa- tion policy is possibly the single biggest issue to resolve if we are going to meet the carbon budgets in the 2020s (and beyond), and a big part of that is work- ing out the future of our gas network infrastructure." While the technical feasibility of de- ploying more low carbon gas has been covered by studies such as H21, there is little clarity over the practical next steps government and industry need to take. This could include greater sup- port for demonstration projects proving the safety of low carbon gas and its economic viability, or strong policy from government to give certainty over the future of low carbon gas and associ- ated infrastructure. The Future Gas Series will explore these next steps in greater detail to pinpoint a model our industry and government should be moving towards. T h e l a s T h u r d l e s Carbon Connect has launched a new report series examining the last challenges in the move to low carbon gas.

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