Projects & Initiatives

The HyDeploy project is the UK’s first practical project to demonstrate that hydrogen can be safely blended into the natural-gas distribution system without requiring changes to appliances and the associated disruption. The project is funded under Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition and is a collaboration between Cadent Gas Northern Gas Networks Progressive Energy Ltd Keele University (Keele) Health & Safety Laboratory and ITM Power. Cadent and Northern Gas Networks are the Gas Distribution Network sponsors of the project. Keele University is the host site providing the gas-distribution network which will receive the hydrogen blend. Keele University is the largest campus university in the UK. Health & Safety Laboratory provides the scientific laboratories and experimental expertise. ITM Power provides the electrolyser that produces the hydrogen. Progressive Energy Ltd is the project developer and project manager. HyDeploy is structured into three distinct phases. The first is an extensive technical programme to establish the necessary detailed evidence base in support of an application to the Health & Safety Executive for Exemption to Schedule 3 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GS(M)R) to permit the injection of hydrogen at 20 mol%. This is required to allow hydrogen to be blended into a natural-gas supply above the current British limit of 0.1 mol%.



The second phase comprises the construction of the electrolyser and grid entry unit along with the necessary piping and valves to allow hydrogen to be mixed and injected into the Keele University gas-distribution network and to ensure all necessary training of operatives is conducted before injection. The third phase is the trial itself which is due to start in the summer of 2019 and last around 10 months. The trial phase also provides an opportunity to undertake further experimental activities related to the operational network to support the pathway to full deployment of blended gas. The outcome of HyDeploy is principally developing the initial evidence base that hydrogen can be blended into a UK operational natural-gas network without disruption to customers and without prejudicing the safety of end users. If deployed at scale hydrogen blending at 20 mol% would unlock 29 TWh pa of decarbonized heat and provide a route map for deeper savings. The equivalent carbon savings of a national roll-out of a 20-mol% hydrogen blend would be to remove 2.5 million cars from the road.



HyDeploy is a seminal UK project for the decarbonization of the gas grid via hydrogen deployment and will provide the first stepping stone for setting technical operational and regulatory precedents of the hydrogen vector.

Hydrogen technologies maintained strong momentum in 2019 awakening keen interest among policy makers. It was a record year for electrolysis capacity becoming operational and several significant announcements were made for upcoming years. The fuel cell electric vehicle market almost doubled owing to outstanding expansion in China Japan and Korea. However low-carbon production capacity remained relatively constant and is still off track with the SDS. More efforts are needed to: scale up to reduce costs; replace high-carbon with low-carbon hydrogen in current applications; and expand hydrogen use to new applications.

Link to Document on IEA Website

The Aberdeen Vision Project could deliver CO2 savings of 1.5MtCO2/y compared with natural gas. A dedicated pipeline from St Fergus to Aberdeen would enable the phased transfer of the Aberdeen regional gas distribution system to 20% then 100% hydrogen.

The study has demonstrated that 2% hydrogen can be injected into the National Transmission System (NTS) at St Fergus and its distribution through the system into the gas distribution network. Due to unique regional attributes the Aberdeen region could lead the UK in the conversion to largescale clean hydrogen. A 200MW hydrogen generation plant is planned to suit 2% blend into the NTS followed by a build out to supply the Aberdeen gas networks and to enable low cost hydrogen transport applications.

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In many areas European research has been largely fragmented. To support the required integration and to focus and coordinate related research efforts the European Commission created a new instrument the Networks of Excellences (NoEs). The goal of the NoE HySafe has been to provide the basis to facilitate the safe introduction of hydrogen as an energy carrier by removing the safety related obstacles. The prioritisation of the HySafe internal project activities was based on a phenomena identification and ranking exercise (PIRT) and expert interviews. The identified research headlines were “Releases in (partially) confined areas” “Mitigation” and “Quantitative Risk Assessment”. Along these headlines existing or planned research work was re-orientated and slightly modified to build up three large internal research projects “InsHyde” “HyTunnel” and “HyQRA”. In InsHyde realistic indoor hydrogen leaks and associated hazards have been investigated to provide recommendations for the safe use of indoor hydrogen systems including mitigation and detection means. The appropriateness of available regulations codes and standards (RCS) has been assessed. Experimental and numerical work was conducted to benchmark simulation tools and to evaluate the related recommendations. HyTunnel contributed to the understanding of the nature of the hazards posed by hydrogen vehicles inside tunnels and its relative severity compared to other fuels. In HyQRA quantitative risk assessment strategies were applied to relevant scenarios in a hydrogen refuelling station and the performance was compared to derive also recommendations. The integration provided by the network is manifested by a series of workshops and benchmarks related to experimental and numerical work. Besides the network generated the following products: the International Conference on Hydrogen Safety the first academic education related to hydrogen safety and the Safety Handbook. Finally the network initiated the founding of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety which will open up the future networking to all interested parties on an international level. The indicated results of this five years integration activity will be described in short.

The Programme Review Report ensures that the FCH JU programme is aligned with its strategy and objectives. This year the programme review was performed following a new procedure: it was carried out by the European Commission’s in-house science service the Joint Research Committee (JRC). The 2017 review pays particular attention to the added value effectiveness and efficiency of FCH JU activities. The review is structured around six panels under three pillars: transport energy and cross-cutting projects summarising the FCH JU Project Portfolio

This work programme was focused on identifying a suitable odorant for use in a 100% hydrogen gas grid (domestic use such as boilers and cookers). The research involved a review of existing odorants (used primarily for natural gas) and the selection of five suitable odorants based on available literature. One odorant was selected based on possible suitability with a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) based fuel cell vehicle which could in future be a possible end-user of grid hydrogen. NPL prepared Primary Reference Materials containing the five odorants in hydrogen at the relevant amount fraction levels (as would be found in the grid) including ones provided by Robinson Brothers (the supplier of odorants for natural gas in the UK). These mixtures were used by NPL to perform tests to understand the effects of the mixtures on pipeline (metal and plastic) appliances (a hydrogen boiler provided by Worcester Bosch) and PEM fuel cells. HSE investigated the health and environmental impact of these odorants in hydrogen. Olfactory testing was performed by Air Spectrum to characterise the ‘smell’ of each odorant. Finally an economic analysis was performed by E4tech. The results confirm that Odorant NB would be a suitable odorant for use in a 100% hydrogen gas grid for combustion applications but further research would be required if the intention is to supply grid hydrogen to stationery fuel cells or fuel cell vehicles. In this case further testing would need to be performed to measure the extent of fuel cell degradation caused by the non-sulphur odorant obtained as part of this work programme and also other UK projects such as the Hydrogen Grid to Vehicle (HG2V) project would provide important information about whether a purification step would be required regardless of the odorant before the hydrogen purity would be suitable for a PEM fuel cell vehicle. If purification was required it would be fine to use Odorant NB as this would be removed during the purification step.

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HyNet North West (NW) is an innovative integrated low carbon hydrogen production distribution and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project. It provides hydrogen distribution and CCUS infrastructure across Liverpool Manchester and parts of Cheshire in support of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy (CGS) and achievement of the UK’s emissions reduction targets.<br/>Hydrogen will be produced from natural gas and sent via a new pipeline to a range of industrial sites for injection as a blend into the existing natural gas network and for use as a transport fuel. Resulting carbon dioxide (CO2) will be captured and together with CO2 from local industry which is already available sent by pipeline for storage offshore in the nearby Liverpool Bay gas fields. Key data for the Project are presented in Table ES1.

The document highlights the role of hydrogen in the decarbonisation of the transport sector. It also provides a series of policy recommendations covering all modes of transport hydrogen distribution and infrastructure and hydrogen as a fuel.

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is often used to check the environmental suitability of hydrogen energy systems usually involving comparative studies. However these comparative studies are typically affected by inconsistent methodological choices between the case studies under comparison. In this regard protocols for the harmonisation of methodological choices in LCA of hydrogen are available. The step-by-step application of these protocols to a large number of case studies has already resulted in libraries of harmonised carbon energy and acidification footprints of hydrogen. In order to foster the applicability of these harmonisation protocols a web-based software for the calculation of harmonised life-cycle indicators of hydrogen has recently been developed. This work addresses—for the first time—the validation of such a tool by checking the deviation between the available libraries of harmonised carbon energy and acidification footprints of hydrogen and the corresponding tool-based harmonised results. A high correlation (R2 > 0.999) was found between the library- and tool-based harmonised life-cycle indicators of hydrogen thereby successfully validating the software. Hence this tool has the potential to effectively promote the use of harmonised life-cycle indicators for robust comparative LCA studies of hydrogen energy systems significantly mitigating misinterpretation.

The HyDeploy project has undertaken a programme of work to assess the effect of hydrogen addition on the safety and performance of gas appliances and installations. A representative set of eight appliances have been assessed in laboratory experiments with a range of test gases that explored high and low Wobbe Index and hydrogen concentrations up to 28.4 % mol/mol. These tests have demonstrated that the addition of hydrogen does not affect the key hazard areas of CO production light back flame out or the operation of flame failure devices. It was identified that for some designs of gas fire appliances the operation of the oxygen depletion sensors may be affected by the addition of hydrogen. Testing of the gas fires that are present at Keele University that use oxygen depletion sensors have been shown to operate satisfactorily.<br/>A comprehensive onsite survey programme at Keele University has assessed 95% of the installations (126 of 133) that will receive the hydrogen blended gas during the HyDeploy trial. Where access to properties was not possible then the information obtained revealed that the appliances were annually checked either through British Gas service contracts or as a result of being rental properties. The onsite testing programme assessed installations for gas tightness and appliance combustion safety and operation with normal line gas G20 reference gas and two hydrogen blended gases. The checks identified a small number instances were remedial work was required to correct poor condition or operation. Only one case was found to be immediately dangerous which was capped off until repair work was undertaken. CO and smoke alarms were fitted in approximately half of properties and alarms were provided as required to the occupants. Gas tightness tests identified leaks in three installations. Where installations are gas tight then analysis has shown that no additional leaks would occur with hydrogen blended gas. There were no issues identified with the combustion performance of those appliances that were operating correctly and results were in line with those obtained in the laboratory testing programme.<br/>The findings of the Appliance and Installation testing program have been used to define the input values into the HyDeploy quantified risk assessment (QRA) where Keele University specific operation is different to GB as a whole or where the findings show the addition of hydrogen will change the risk profile.<br/>Click on supplements to see the other documents from this report

The assessment of appropriate operational procedures to govern the injection of a hydrogen/natural gas blend into the Keele University G3 gas distribution network was a requirement as part of the HyDeploy project. To perform this assessment a group of gas industry experts (from Cadent Northern Gas Networks and Keele University Estates Team) along with scientists and engineers from the Health & Safety Laboratory came together to form an Operational Procedures Forum. This forum came together periodically in various workshops to explore and assess the impact of hydrogen blended gas on all the relevant and current operational procedures that govern the safe transportation and utilisation of natural gas within the Keele University G3 gas distribution network.

The operational procedures assessment has led to a determination as to whether a change is or is not required for relevant operational procedures where a basis of concern existed with respect to the injection of hydrogen blended gas. The report essentially summarises the key points of the basis of concern for different operational procedures by highlighting the key points of the existing procedure and whether this procedure requires modification for the hydrogen blended gas injection trial. Any requirements to modify an existing procedure have been given in this report referencing the source as to where the detailed analysis for the change/no change recommendation has been given.

The forum took into account the associated experimental and research carried out as part of the HyDeploy project such as the assessment of gas characteristics materials impact asset survey of assets on the Keele G3 GDN and impact of hydrogen blended gas on gas detection equipment references to these studies have been given accordingly to associated impacted operational procedures.

The conclusion of the assessment is that there are some operational procedures that are unchanged some that require an increase in the frequency as to how often they are performed and some procedures which require a fundamental modification. Therefore it is necessary that an appropriate training package is built off the back of the results presented in this report and disseminated accordingly to all relevant Operatives that will be responsible for the safety operation and maintenance of the Keele G3 GDN during the hydrogen blend injection period.

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This document provides guidance on the commercial and strategic elements of a heat network project to support completion of a project business case.

The guidance is intended for local authorities and heat network developers to support their investigations and enable progression from feasibility stage through to business case delivery. The guidance has been drafted with reference to policy legislation and regulation in England and Wales; however much of the guidance is likely also to be relevant to projects in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The guidance specifically supports the HMT Green Book Five Cases Business Model (the Five Cases Model) and the derived DBEIS Business Case Template (DBEIS BCT) that follows this structure but will also be applicable in other instances. The Five Cases Model (and similarly the DBEIS BCT) considers the viability of the project from five perspectives:

• Strategic
• Economic
• Commercial
• Financial
• Management

Although all five elements are relevant this guide particularly focuses on the Strategic and Commercial cases.

Related Document Heat Networks 2020

An overview of the HyDeploy project at Keele University where hydrogen is being blended with natural gas to demonstrate the feasibility of using hydrogen to heat our homes.

The United Kingdom has a vast scientific base across the entire Hydrogen and Fuel Cell research landscape with a world class academic community coupled with significant industrial activity from both UK-based Hydrogen and Fuel Cell companies and global companies with a strong presence within the country. The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (H2FC) SUPERGEN Hub funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) was established in 2012 as a five-year programme to bring the UK's H2FC research community together. Here we present the UK's current Hydrogen and Fuel Cell activities along with the role of the H2FC SUPERGEN Hub.

The HyDeploy project seeks to address a key issue for UK customers: how to reduce the carbon they emit in heating their homes. The UK has a world class gas grid delivering heat conveniently and safely to over 83% of homes. Emissions can be reduced by lowering the carbon content of gas through blending with hydrogen. This delivers carbon savings without customers requiring disruptive and expensive changes in their homes. It also provides the platform for deeper carbon savings by enabling wider adoption of hydrogen across the energy system.

This Network Innovation Competition (NIC) funded project seeks to establish the level of hydrogen that can be safely blended with natural gas for transport and use in a UK network. Under its smart energy network innovation demonstration programme Keele University is establishing its electricity and gas networks as facilities to drive forward innovation in the energy sector. The objective of HyDeploy is to trial natural gas blended with 20%mol of hydrogen in a part of the Keele gas network. Before any hydrogen can be blended with natural gas in the network the percentage of hydrogen to be delivered must be approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It must be satisfied that the approved blended gas will be as safe to use as normal gas. Such approval is provided as an Exemption to the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations. These regulations ensure the safe use and management of gas through the gas network in the UK. Following such approval hydrogen production and grid injection units are to be installed and an extensive trial programme undertaken. Blending hydrogen at 20%mol with natural gas across the UK would save around 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year the equivalent of removing 2.5 million cars from the road.

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The next decade will see fundamental changes in how people heat their homes. The global energy system is changing in response to the need to transition away from fossil-based generation towards more environmentally sustainable alternatives.

Hydrogen offers one such alternative but currently there is limited understanding of public perceptions of hydrogen the information that people need in order to make an informed choice about using hydrogen in their homes and how misunderstandings could present barriers to the uptake of hydrogen technology. This is crucial to ensure the success of future policy and investment. The H21 concept is to convert the UK gas distribution network to 100% hydrogen over time thereby decarbonising heat and supporting decarbonisation of electric large industrials and transport. This would be achieved using the existing UK gas grid network and technology available across the world today whilst maintaining the benefits of gas and the gas networks in the energy mix for the long-term future. Additionally this would maintain choice of energy for customers i.e. they would be able to use both gas and electricity. The H21 project is being delivered by the UK gas distribution networks Northern Gas Networks Cadent Wales & West Utilities and SGN. As part of the H21 project Leeds Beckett University has been working with Northern Gas Networks to gain insight into public perceptions of hydrogen as a domestic fuel. Using innovative social science methods the research team has explored for the first time public perceptions of moving the UK domestic fuel supply to 100% hydrogen. We identify what people think and feel about a potential conversion the concerns and questions that they have and how to address them clearly. The findings presented in this report will ensure that issues around the current perception of hydrogen are identified and addressed prior to any large-scale technology rollout.

The first stage of the project comprised a series of discovery interviews which explored how to talk to people about hydrogen and the H21 project. We interviewed 12 participants selected to ensure we included people with a range of experiences and domestic settings for example people who live in urban and rural areas those who live alone those who live with children or a partner those who live in their own home and those who rent. Most participants had given very little thought about where their gas and electric comes from and other than switching supplier to get a better tariff had very little interest in it. They had not previously considered their domestic heating as a source of carbon emissions and were surprised that there may be a need in the future to change their gas supply. From the discovery interviews we identified several key areas to explore in the next stage of the work:

• Beliefs about the environment
• Beliefs about inconvenience and cost
• Beliefs about safety
• Beliefs about the economic impact

This report and any attachment is freely available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal here. IGEM Members can download the report and any attachment directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

Initiated in 2011 the 2012 programme review edition covered 71‘live’ projects from the 2008 2009 and 2010 calls for proposals together with some projects from the 2011 call. Total funding for these projects stands at close to € 450 million 50% of which comes from FCH JU financial contributions and 50% of which comes from industry and research in-kind contributions.

Climate change is one of today’s most pressing global challenges. Since the emission of greenhouse gases is often closely related to the use and supply of energy the goal to avoid emissions requires a fundamental restructuring of the energy system including all parts of the technology chains from production to end-use. Natural gas is today one of the most important primary energy sources in Europe with utilization ranging from power generation and industry to appliances in the residential and commercial sector as well as mobility. As natural gas is a fossil fuel gas utilization is thus responsible for significant emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) a greenhouse gas. However the transformation of the gas sector with its broad variety of technologies and end-use applications is a challenge as a fuel switch is related to changing physical properties. Today the residential and commercial sector is the biggest end user sector for natural gas in the EU both in terms of consumption and in the number of installed appliances. Natural gas is used to provide space heating as well as hot water and is used in cooking and catering appliances with in total about 200 million gas-fired residential and commercial end user appliances installed. More than 40 % of the EU gas consumption is accounted for by the residential and commercial sector. The most promising substitutes for natural gas are biogases and hydrogen. The carbon-free fuel gas hydrogen may be produced e.g. from water and renewable electricity; therefore it can be produced with a greatly lowered carbon footprint and on a very large scale. As a gaseous fuel it can be transported stored and utilised in all end-use sectors that are served by natural gas today: Power plants industry commercial appliances households and mobility. Technologies and materials however need to be suitable for the new fuel. The injection of hydrogen into existing gas distribution for example will impact all gas-using equipment in the grids since these devices are designed and optimized to operate safely efficiently and with low pollutant emissions with natural gas as fuel. The THyGA project1 focusses on all technical aspects and the regulatory framework concerning the potential operation of domestic and commercial end user appliances with hydrogen  / natural gas blends. The THyGA deliverables start with theoretical background from material science (D2.4) and combustion theory (this report) and extend to the project’s experimental campaign on hydrogen tolerance tests as well as reports on the status quo and potential future developments on rules and standards as well as mitigation strategies for coping with high levels of hydrogen admixture. By this approach the project aims at investigating which levels of hydrogen blending impact the various appliance technologies to which extent and to identify the regime in which a safe efficient and low-polluting operation is possible. As this is in many ways a question of combustion this report focuses on theoretical considerations about the impact of hydrogen admixture on combustion processes. The effects of hydrogen admixture on main gas quality properties as well as combustion temperatures laminar combustion velocities pollutant formation (CO NOx) safety-related aspects and the impact of combustion control are discussed. This overview provides a basis for subsequent steps of the project e.g. for establishing the testing program. A profound understanding of the impact on hydrogen on natural gas combustion is also essential for the development of mitigation strategies to reduce potential negative consequences of hydrogen admixture on appliances.

This is part one. Part two of this project can be found at this link

The present document is part of a larger literature survey of this WP aiming to establish the current status of gas utilisation technologies in order to determine the impact of hydrogen (H₂) admixture on natural gas (NG) appliances. This part focuses on the non-combustion related aspects of injecting hydrogen in the gas distribution networks within buildings including hydrogen embrittlement of metallic materials chemical compatibility and leakage issues. In the particular conditions of adding natural gas and hydrogen (NG / H2) mixture into a gas distribution network hydrogen is likely to reduce the mechanical properties of metallic components. This is known as hydrogen embrittlement (HE) (Birnbaum 1979). This type of damage takes place once a critical level of stress / strain and hydrogen content coexist in a susceptible microstructure. Currently four mechanisms were identified and will be discussed in detail. The way those mechanisms act independently or together is strongly dependent on the material the hydrogen charging procedure and the mechanical loading type. The main metallic materials used in gas appliances and gas distribution networks are: carbon steels stainless steels copper brass and aluminium alloys (Thibaut 2020). The presented results showed that low alloy steels are the most susceptible materials to hydrogen embrittlement followed by stainless steels aluminium copper and brass alloys. However the relative pressures of the operating conditions of gas distribution network in buildings are low i.e. between 30 to 50 mbar. At those low hydrogen partial pressures it is assumed that a gas mixture composed of NG and up to 50% H2 should not be problematic in terms of HE for any of the metallic materials used in gas distribution network unless high mechanical stress / strain and high stress concentrations are applied. The chemical compatibility of hydrogen with other materials and specifically polyethylene (PE) which is a reference material for the gas industry is also discussed. PE was found to have no corrosion issues and no deterioration or ageing was observed after long term testing in hydrogen gas. The last non-combustion concern related to the introduction of hydrogen in natural gas distribution network is the propensity of hydrogen toward leakage. Indeed the physical properties of hydrogen are different from other gases such as methane or propane and it was observed that hydrogen leaks 2.5 times quicker than methane. This bibliographical report on material deterioration chemical compatibility and leakage concerns coming with the introduction of NG / H₂ mixture in the gas distribution network sets the basis for the upcoming experimental work where the tightness of gas distribution network components will be investigated (Task 3.2.3 WP3). In addition tightness of typical components that connect end-user appliances to the local distribution line shall be evaluated as well.

The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) has carried out an investigation into the gas characteristics that may influence the leakage dispersion and flammability hazards associated with blended natural gas-hydrogen mixtures containing up to 20 % mol/mol hydrogen. The work was carried out under contract to Cadent & Northern Gas Networks as part of the HyDeploy project which was commissioned to investigate the feasibility of using blended hydrogen-natural gas mixtures in UK mains gas distribution networks.

Under the HyDeploy project a demonstration scheme is being carried out at Keele University in which it is planned to inject up to 20 % mol/mol hydrogen. Keele is Britain’s largest campus university and an ideal test site for a demonstration scheme as its gas distribution network is largely independent of the national gas network but still subject to UK gas industry procedural controls. It is anticipated that a successful demonstration scheme will facilitate the use of blended natural gas-hydrogen mixtures throughout the UK leading to significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The project is being led by Cadent & Northern Gas Networks and also involves ITM Power Progressive Energy Keele University and HSL in consortium.

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There is no inherent property of hydrogen that makes it unsuitable for metering at distribution or transmission pressures. Towns gas containing large percentages of hydrogen was used for many years in the UK and continues to be in use in Hong Kong and Singapore. Many manufacturers sell their ordinary mechanical gas meters as suitable for hydrogen in a laboratory or industrial situation; unfortunately lack of demand has meant that none of these meters seem to have certified under appropriate metering regulations for gaseous hydrogen (e.g. the Measuring Instruments Directive)<br/>Some of the more sophisticated modern inferential meters (e.g. thermal or ultrasonic) currently designed specifically for natural gas (or LPG if suitably calibrated) are likely to unsuitable for repurposing directly to hydrogen but none of the problems appear fundamental or insuperable. The largest potential hurdle probably surrounds the physical size of current meters. A hydrogen appliance will consume about 3.3 more hydrogen than natural gas (on a volumetric basis) and using traditional designs this would have been measured through a meter probably too large to fit within an existing meter box. Unless unsolved such an increase in size would add materially to any hydrogen re-purposing programme.<br/>The meter trade thus need to be challenged to come up with a hydrogen meter that is the same physical size as a natural gas meter on a power rating basis (i.e. in kW). Ultrasonic and thermal mass meters should be included in the necessary Research and Development programme.<br/>A meter test programme is suggested that will provide evidence to meter manufacturers that the metering of hydrogen is not inherently difficult and thus convince them to make the necessary investments and/or approach the GDNO’s for assistance with such a programme.

During the exemption application process the original report was evaluated as part of a regulatory review and responses to questions submitted for further consideration. These have been addressed in this revised version (revision 1) in the form of an addendum. The addendum includes the question raised its number and the response to it. The area of the main body of the report to which each question and response refers is indicated by square brackets and the addendum number e.g. [A1].<br/>Through analysis of the literature and results of the practical testing the susceptibility of materials present in the Winlaton trial site to hydrogen degradation has been assessed with consideration of the Winlaton operating conditions (up to 20% H2 at total blend pressures of 20 mbar – 2 bar). The aim of this report has been to determine whether there are any components which have been identified at the Winlaton trial site which could have a significantly increased risk of failure due to their exposure to hydrogen during the one year trial. Where possible direct supporting data has been used to make assessments on the likelihood of failure; in other cases the assessment was aided by collaborative expert opinion in the fields of mechanical engineering materials science and the domestic gas industry.<br/>Click on the supplements tab to view the other documents from this report

The IEA produced this dataset as part of efforts to track advances in low-carbon hydrogen technology. It covers all projects commissioned worldwide since 2000 to produce hydrogen for energy or climate-change-mitigation purposes. It includes projects which their objective is either to reduce emissions associated with producing hydrogen for existing applications or to use hydrogen as an energy carrier or industrial feedstock in new applications that have the potential to be a low-carbon technology. Projects in planning or construction are also covered.

Link to Download Database from IEA Website

In response to the global climate emergency governments across the world are aiming to lower greenhouse gas emissions to slow the damaging effects of climate change.<br/>The Scottish Government has set a target of net zero emissions by 2045. Already a global leader in renewable energy and low-carbon technology deployment Scotland’s energy landscape is set to undergo more change as it moves toward becoming carbon-neutral. Key to that change will be the transition from natural gas to zero-carbon gases like hydrogen and biomethane.<br/>Scotland’s north-east and central belt are home to some of its largest industrial carbon emitters. The sector’s reliance on natural gas means that it emits 11.9Mt of CO2 emissions per year says NECCUS: the equivalent of 2.6 million cars or roughly all the cars in Scotland. Most homes and businesses across Scotland also use natural gas for heating.<br/>Our North-East Network and Industrial Cluster project is laying the foundations for the rapid decarbonisation of this high-emitting sector. We’ve published a report outlining the practical steps needed to rapidly decarbonise a significant part of Scotland’s homes and industry. It demonstrates how hydrogen can play a leading role in delivering the Scottish Government’s target of one million homes with low carbon heat by 2030.<br/>The research published with global consulting and engineering advisor Wood sets out a transformational and accelerated pathway to 100% hydrogen for Scotland’s gas networks which you can see on the map below. It also details the feasibility of a CO2 collection network to securely capture transport and store carbon dioxide emissions deep underground.

Hy4Heat’s mission is to establish if it is technically possible safe and convenient to replace natural gas (methane) with hydrogen in residential and commercial buildings and gas appliances. This will enable the government to determine whether to proceed to a community trial.



There is growing international consensus that hydrogen will be essential to successfully tackling climate change. So BEIS is working to develop hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier for the UK which will be an essential element of the UK’s efforts to transform and decarbonise our energy system in line with our legally binding 2050 net zero commitment. Hydrogen can be used across multiple end-use sectors including industry transport heat and power. BEIS is looking to support and develop low carbon hydrogen production methods which will position hydrogen as a highly effective decarbonisation option particularly in hard-to electrify sectors and processes.



At the end of 2017 BEIS appointed Arup to be the programme manager for the Hy4Heat programme. Arup partnered with technical and industry specialists: Kiwa Gastec Progressive Energy Embers and Yo Energy and together the team oversees the programme and technical management of all the work packages. For the past three years Hy4Heat has been exploring whether replacing natural gas (methane) with hydrogen for domestic heating and cooking is feasible and could be part of a plausible potential pathway to help meet heat decarbonisation targets. To do this the programme has been seeking to provide the technical performance usability and safety evidence to demonstrate whether hydrogen can be used for heat in buildings.





This report and any attachment is freely available on the Hy4Heat website here. The report can also be downloaded directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

The 2013 Programme Review is the third annual review of the FCH JU portfolio of projects. This edition covers over 100 projects funded through annual calls for proposals from 2008 to 2012.<br/>The Programme Review serves to evaluate the achievements of the portfolio of FCH JU-funded projects against FCH JU strategic objectives in terms of advancing technological progress addressing horizontal activities and promoting cooperation with other projects both within the FCH JU portfolio as well as externally.<br/>The 2013 Review confirms that the portfolio of projects supported within energy and transport pillars and within its cross-cutting activities is a solid one aligned with the FCH JU strategic objectives. Industry and research collaboration is strong with SMEs making up 30% of total participants. The continued expansion of demonstration activities in both pillars answers to a greater emphasis on addressing the commercialisation challenge which is bolstered by activities in basic and breakthrough research.

Clean hydrogen is universally considered an important energy vector in the global efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions to the "well below 2 °C scenario" as agreed by more than 190 states in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Hydrogen Valleys – regional ecosystems that link hydrogen production transportation and various end uses such as mobility or industrial feedstock – are important steps towards enabling the development of a new hydrogen economy.<br/><br/>This report has been issued during the setup of the "Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform"  which was commissioned by the European Union and developed by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. The global information sharing platform to date already features 30+ global Hydrogen Valleys with a cumulative investment volume of more than EUR 30 billion. The projects provide a first-of-its kind look into the global Hydrogen Valley project landscape its success factors and remaining barriers. This report summarizes the findings and presents identified best practices for successful project development as well as recommendations for policymakers on how to provide a favourable policy environment that paves the way to reach the Hydrogen Valleys' full potential as enablers of the global hydrogen economy.

The UK government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. All future energy modelling identifies a key role for hydrogen (linked to CCUS) in providing decarbonised energy for heat transport industry and power generation. Blending hydrogen into the existing natural gas pipeline network has already been proposed as a means of transporting low carbon energy. However the expectation is that a gas blend with maximum hydrogen content of 20 mol% can be used without impacting consumers’ end use applications. Therefore a transitional solution is needed to achieve a 100% hydrogen future network.

Deblending (i.e. separation of the blended gas stream) is a potential solution to allow the existing gas transmission and distribution network infrastructure to transport energy as a blended gas stream. Deblending can provide either hydrogen natural gas or blended gas for space heating transport industry and power generation applications. If proven technically and economically feasible utilising the existing gas transmission and distribution networks in this manner could avoid the need for investment in separate gas and hydrogen pipeline networks during the transition to a future fully decarbonised gas network.

The Energy Network Association (ENA) “Gas Goes Green” programme identifies deblending could play a critical role in the transition to a decarbonised gas network. Gas separation technologies are well-established and mature and have been used and proven in natural gas processing for decades. However these technologies have not been used for bulk gas transportation in a transmission and distribution network setting. Some emerging hydrogen separation technologies are currently under development. The main hydrogen recovery and purification technologies currently deployed globally are:

• Cryogenic separation
• Membrane separation
• Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)

The technologies noted above require an energy input to drive the separation of gas components in the form of compression to provide a pressure differential. The configuration of the GB gas transmission and distribution networks provides a possible source of available energy through the pressure let-down in the network pressure tiers which could be used to drive the gas component separation processes. This study evaluated the gas separation technologies noted above against a selection of case studies based on actual network operating conditions to assess the technical andeconomic feasibility of hydrogen deblending in the GB gas network context. This study constitutes the first stage (proof of concept) in a programme of works that should provide the critical evidence for hydrogen deblending as a necessary component to enable the use of GB gas networks to transport and distribute hydrogen.

This report and any attachment is freely available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal here. IGEM Members can download the report and any attachment directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

HyDeploy is a pioneering hydrogen energy project designed to help reduce UK CO2 emissions and reach the Government’s net zero target for 2050.

As the first ever live demonstration of hydrogen in homes HyDeploy aims to prove that blending up to 20% volume of hydrogen with natural gas is a safe and greener alternative to the gas we use now.  It is  providing evidence on how customers don’t have to change their cooking or heating appliances to take the blend which means less disruption and cost for them.

This Meeting Report summarises the findings of a two-day workshop in April 2007 at the Culham Science Centre and Worcester College Oxford which explored the potential for large-scale Hydrogen production through methods other than electrolysis.<br/>Operating at the cusp of research and policy-making the UK Energy Research Centre's mission is to be the UK's pre-eminent centre of research and source of authoritative information and leadership on sustainable energy systems. The Centre takes a whole systems approach to energy research incorporating economics engineering and the physical environmental and social sciences while developing and maintaining the means to enable cohesive research in energy. A key supporting function of UKERC is the Meeting Place based in Oxford which aims to bring together members of the UK energy community and overseas experts from different disciplines to learn identify problems develop solutions and further the energy debate.

Transitioning to Hydrogen a joint report from five engineering organisations focuses on the engineering challenges of replacing natural gas in the gas distribution network with hydrogen in order to reduce emissions. The production of this report is timely following the commitment from Government this week to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050. It is expected that hydrogen will play a big part in the reduction of emissions from the heating transport and industrial sectors.<br/><br/>The report concludes that there is no reason why repurposing the gas network to hydrogen cannot be achieved but there are some engineering risks and uncertainties that need to be addressed. In the development of the report many questions were posed and members of IMechE IChemE IET and IGEM were surveyed to better understand the challenges faced by the hydrogen production and gas industries planning to undertake this ambitious transition. Further information was obtained from the Health and Safety Laboratories.<br/><br/>The report also highlights 20 ongoing projects in the UK that are looking at various aspects of hydrogen production distribution and use.

The objective of the analysis is to provide a robust assessment of the economic impact of HyNet NW over the period to 2050 across both the North West of England and the UK as a whole. Impact is assessed through modelling of direct indirect and induced effect frameworks:

• Direct effects – activities that directly accrue due to the construction and operation of the facilities;
• Indirect effects – the purchase of goods and services to facilitate construction/operation; and
• Induced effects – spending of wages and salaries generated directly and indirectly through construction and operation.

The approach taken is to define the capital and operating expenditure (CAPEX and OPEX) profiles of the Project investment as the basis of analysis distinguishing where feasible between design construction and equipment costs and establishing the likely sourcing of these activities from within the North West UK and overseas.

Consideration is also given to the potential impacts of inward investment attracted to the North West/UK in the wake of the Project.

The Isle of Grain (IoG) presents a technically feasible commercially viable strategic location to build and operate a hydrogen production facility which would be a key enabler to the UK meeting the Net Zero 2050 target.

As highlighted in the ‘Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’ report published by The Committee on Climate Change in May 2019 hydrogen is set to have a major part to play in reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is also seen as essential to support those supplies.

The report further recognises that this will involve increased investments and that CCS and hydrogen will require both capital funding and revenue support.

For hydrogen to have a part to play in the decarbonisation of London and the south east of England a large-scale hydrogen production facility will be required which will provide a multi vector solution through the decarbonisation of the gas grid.

This report and any attachment is freely available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal here. IGEM Members can download the report and any attachment directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

The study focuses on converting current industrial natural gas heating technologies to use 100% hydrogen considering the evidence which must be available before a decision on the UK’s decarbonisation pathway for heating could be made. The aim of the study is to assess the technical requirements and challenges associated with industrial hydrogen conversion and estimate the associated costs and timeframes.

This report and any attachment is freely available on the Hy4Heat website here. IGEM Members can download the report and any attachment directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

In July 2020 the European Union unveiled its new Hydrogen Strategy a visionary plan to accelerate the adoption of green hydrogen to meet the EU’s net-zero emissions goal by 2050. Combined with smaller-scale plans in South Korea and Japan IEEFA believes this could form the beginnings of a global green hydrogen economy.

Green hydrogen produced exclusively with renewable energy has been acclaimed for decades but ever lower solar electricity costs mean this time really is different.

We expect the EU’s initiative to find strong support as the proposed investment of €430bn by 2030 places it in pole position to develop a world-class green energy manufacturing industry and provides a vital bridge for energy transition by repurposing existing ‘natural’ gas pipelines and fossil-fuel dependent ports.

In the past year numerous green hydrogen projects have been proposed primarily in Asia Europe Australia.

We estimate there are 50 viable projects globally announced in the past year with a total hydrogen production capacity of 4 million tons per annum and renewable power capacity of 50 gigawatts (GW) requiring capex of US$75bn.

The paper can be download on the IEEFA website

The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned a study to research the capacity of the manufacturing supply chain to meet expected future demand for heat pumps. This report contains analysis of the existing supply chain including component parts and also assesses the risks to and opportunities for growth in domestic heat pump manufacture and export.<br/><br/>Alongside a literature review the findings in this report were supported by interviews with organisations involved in the manufacture of heat pumps and an online workshop held with a range of businesses throughout the supply chain.

The H21 Leeds City Gate project is a study with the aim of determining the feasibility from both a technical and economic viewpoint of converting the existing natural gas network in Leeds one of the largest UK cities to 100% hydrogen. The project has been designed to minimise disruption for existing customers and to deliver heat at the same cost as current natural gas to customers. The project has shown that:

• The gas network has the correct capacity for such a conversion
• It can be converted incrementally with minimal disruption to customers
• Minimal new energy infrastructure will be required compared to alternatives
• The existing heat demand for Leeds can be met via steam methane reforming and salt cavern storage using technology in use around the world today

The project has provided costs for the scheme and has modelled these costs in a regulatory finance model. In addition the availability of low-cost bulk hydrogen in a gas network could revolutionise the potential for hydrogen vehicles and via fuel cells support a decentralised model of combined heat and power and localised power generation.

This report and any attachment is freely available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal here. IGEM Members can download the report and any attachment directly by clicking on the pdf icon above.

As 2018 marks the ten-year anniversary of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) it is inspiring to look back over the many accomplishments of the past decade. The projects described in these pages illustrate the approach of continuous learning exemplified by the FCH JU’s projects from creating low-carbon and sustainable solutions enabling market entry for new products developing ‘next generation’ products based on previous research to opening new markets for European expertise in fuel cell and hydrogen (FCH) technology.<br/>The FCH JU’s achievements are due in part to its multi-stakeholder structure: a public-private partnership between industry research and the European Commission. Industry-led research has pioneered new developments in FCH technology and brought many of them to the cusp of commercialisation. Market uptake from public authorities major companies and citizens alike has boosted confidence in these clean technologies establishing hydrogen as a cornerstone of Europe’s energy transition.<br/>DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS FOR A GREENER WORLD<br/>Citizens are at the heart of Europe’s Energy Union a strategy aimed at providing clean secure and affordable energy for all. For some years now and as a signatory to the Paris Agreement in 2015 the EU has been actively targeting reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

A final report covering covering activity in 2021 and early 2022 including: standards and certification safety assessment and appliance and meter development. It has a foreword from Mark Taylor BEIS Deputy Director for Energy Innovation and an introduction letter from Arup Hy4Heat Director Mark Neller.

Exemption is requested from the obligation set out in Regulation 8(1) of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) to convey only natural gas that is compliant with the Interchangeability requirements of Part I of Schedule 3 of the GSMR within the G3 element of the Keele University gas distribution network (KU-GDN). The KU-GDN is owned and operated by Keele University. The proposed conveyance of non-compliant gas (hereafter called the “HyDeploy Field Trial”) will last for one year of injection and is part of a Network Innovation Competition Project “HyDeploy”. The project aims to demonstrate that natural gas containing hydrogen at a level above that normally permitted by Schedule 3 of the GSMR can be safely and efficiently conveyed and inform decisions on the feasibility and strategy for wider deployment of natural gas containing hydrogen in Great Britain’s (GB’s) gas transmission and gas distribution systems.<br/>Click the supplements tab for the other documents from this report.

The Hy4Heat Safety Assessment has focused on assessing the safe use of hydrogen gas in certain types of domestic properties and buildings. The summary reports (the Precis and the Safety Assessment Conclusions Report) bring together all the findings of the work and should be looked to for context by all readers. The technical reports should be read in conjunction with the summary reports. While the summary reports are made as accessible as possible for general readers the technical reports may be most accessible for readers with a degree of technical subject matter understanding. All of the safety assessment reports have now been reviewed by the HSE.<br/><br/>A comparative risk assessment of natural gas versus hydrogen gas including a quantitative risk assessment; and identification of control measures to reduce risk and manage hydrogen gas safety for a community demonstration.

Across Europe permitted blend levels of hydrogen blending into the gas grid are appreciably higher than that currently permitted in the UK up to 12% mol/mol compared with 0.1% mol/mol. Whilst there is some routine blending undertaking – typically power to gas applications three major projects have been undertaken to demonstrate operation of a gas distribution network at higher blend levels of hydrogen.<br/>A Dutch project was completed in 2011 which demonstrated successful operation into a network with new appliances at 20% mol/mol. A German project was completed in 2015 which demonstrated successful operation into an existing gas network with existing appliances at their permitted level of 10% mol/mol. In France an extensive programme is underway to inject hydrogen into a network at 20% mol/mol due to commence injection in 2018.<br/>Each of these projects undertook extensive pre-trial activities and operational data was collected during the Dutch and German trials. The programme of pre-trial work for the French project was particularly extensive and mirrored the work done by HyDeploy. This led to a permit being granted for the French project at 20% mol/mol with injection into the network imminent.<br/>The HyDeploy team has engaged with each of the project teams who have been very co-operative; this has enabled scientific sharing of best practice. In all cases the projects were successful. The participants in the Dutch project were particularly keen to have been able to undertake a similar trial to HyDeploy; a larger trial into existing appliances. However political changes in Holland have precluded that at this time such progress was not limited by technical findings from the work.<br/>A high level overview of the projects and the data provided is summarised in this report. More detailed information is referenced and covered in more detail where required in the appropriate individual topic reports supporting the Exemption.<br/>Click on supplements tab to view the other documents from this report

In order to inform the Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) and procedures for the Winlaton trial the HyDeploy 2 project has undertaken a second programme of work focused on assessing the safe operation of gas appliances with hydrogen blended gas. This work extends the initial programme of work undertaken in HyDeploy 1 in 2018. Collectively these two projects provide an evidence base to support the project objective to demonstrate that there are no overarching safety concerns for the addition of up to 20 % mol/mol hydrogen to the GB natural gas distribution network.<br/>Click on the supplements tab to view the other documents from this report

Exemption is requested by Northern Gas Networks Ltd (NGN) from the obligation set out in Regulation 8(1) of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) to convey only natural gas that is compliant with the Interchangeability requirements of Part I of Schedule 3 of the GSMR within a section of the NGN gas distribution network near Winlaton (the “field trial area”). The field trial area is owned and operated by Northern Gas Networks Ltd. The proposed conveyance of non-compliant gas (hereafter called the “Winlaton Field Trial”) will last for one year and is part of the Network Innovation Competition Project “HyDeploy2”.<br/>The project the first two phases of which are funded under the UK Network Innovation Competition scheme aims to demonstrate that natural gas containing levels of hydrogen beyond the upper limit set out in Schedule 3 of in the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GSMR) can be distributed and utilised safely and efficiently in the UK gas distribution networks. The first phase of the HyDeploy project is currently underway and includes a 10-month field trial that of hydrogen injection into part of a private gas distribution system owned and operated by Keele University. The second phase of the HyDeploy project (HyDeploy2) continues on from the work of the first phase and is scheduled to conclude with two 12-month field trials in which hydrogen will be injected into public gas networks owned and operated by NGN and Cadent Gas.<br/>Click on the supplements tab to view the other documents from this report

In order to inform the Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) and procedures for the Winlaton trial the gas characteristics relating to the behaviour of the flammable gas have been reviewed for blended natural gas mixtures containing 20% mol/mol hydrogen (hereby referred to as “blend”) for normal operation and 50% mol/mol for fault conditions. This work builds on the findings of the previous HyDeploy gas characteristics report HyD-Rep04-V02-Characteristics.<br/>Click on the supplements tab to view the other documents from this report

The Hy4Heat Safety Assessment has focused on assessing the safe use of hydrogen gas in certain types of domestic properties and buildings. The summary reports (the Precis and the Safety Assessment Conclusions Report) bring together all the findings of the work and should be looked to for context by all readers. The technical reports should be read in conjunction with the summary reports. While the summary reports are made as accessible as possible for general readers the technical reports may be most accessible for readers with a degree of technical subject matter understanding. All of the safety assessment reports have now been reviewed by the HSE.<br/><br/>This document is an overview of the Safety Assessment work undertaken as part of the Hy4Heat programme

Green Print -  Future Heat for Everyone draws together technical consumer and economic considerations to create a pioneering plan to transition 22 million UK homes to low carbon heat by 2050.<br/>Our Green Print underlines the scale of the challenge ahead acknowledging that a mosaic of low carbon heating solutions will be required to meet the needs of individual communities and setting out 12 key steps that can be taken now in order to get us there<br/>The Climate Change Committee (CCC) estimates an investment spend of £250bn to upgrade insulation and heating in homes as well as provide the infrastructure to deliver the energy.<br/>This is a task of unprecedented scale the equivalent of retro-fitting 67000 homes every month from now until 2050. In this Report Cadent takes the industry lead in addressing the challenge.

The HyDeploy project seeks to address a key issue for UK customers and UK energy policy makers: how to reduce the carbon emitted from heating homes. The UK has a world class gas distribution grid delivering heat conveniently and safely to over 83% of homes. Emissions can be reduced by lowering the carbon content of gas through blending with hydrogen. This delivers carbon savings without customers requiring disruptive and expensive changes in their homes. It also provides the platform for deeper carbon savings by enabling wider adoption of hydrogen across the energy system. HyDeploy has previously delivered a successful trial demonstrations of repurposing existing UK distribution gas networks (Keele University) to operate on a blend of natural gas and hydrogen (up to 20% mol/mol) showing that carbon savings can be made through the gas networks today whilst continuing to meet the needs of gas consumers without introducing any disruptions.<br/>The ultimate objective of the HyDeploy programme is to see the roll-out of hydrogen blends across the GB gas distribution network unlocking 35 TWh pa of low carbon heat - the equivalent of removing 2.5 million fossil-fuelled cars off the roads. To achieve this the next phase of the programme is to address the remaining evidence gaps that had not been covered by the trial demonstration programmes.<br/>The demonstrations have focussed on the low and medium pressure tiers of the gas distribution network (i.e. injecting into a 2 bar gauge pressure network and distributing the blended gas down to the low pressure network and into people’s homes and commercial buildings and businesses) and predominantly serving domestic appliances.<br/>The remainder of the HyDeploy2 programme will generate an evidence base for GB’s gas distribution network which includes demonstrating the suitability of using hydrogen blended gas in the fields of industrial and commercial users and the performance of materials assets and procedures on the higher pressure tiers (i.e. 7 bar gauge operation and above).<br/>This report captures the details of the Winlaton trial and provides a future look to how the UK can transition from successful hydrogen blending trials to roll-out.

The application of appropriate procedures in the downstream gas industry (defined as any works downstream of the emergency control value) is critical in protecting consumers of gas both domestic and commercial. The two primary standard setting bodies for the downstream gas industry are the British Standard Institution (BSI) and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM). To ensure only competent engineers carry out works on a gas installation all gas businesses or selfemployed persons must become a member of Gas Safe Register as stipulated by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 1 and each gas operative shall be included on the register and hold a valid license card that covers the areas of gas work they undertake. Membership of the Gas Safe Register is contingent upon demonstration of competency the recognised competency assessments are based on the relevant BSI and IGEM standards. Therefore the primary source of a gas operative’s competency to work on natural gas installations are the associated BSI and IGEM natural gas downstream standards.<br/>Investigation was undertaken to understand the potential implications of introducing 20 mol% hydrogen (H2) within natural gas supplies on the ability of gas operatives to competently carry out works. This investigation took the form of identifying all BSI and IGEM standards that could be applied on natural gas installations and reviewing them within the context of the known effects of introducing a 20 mol% H2 blend. Following review a series of technical questions were generated and responded to by the Health and Safety Executive Science Division. The responses provided were then reviewed and if considered necessary challenged to provide further information. The procedural review was led by Blue Flame Associates a body deemed sufficiently competent in downstream standards training certification and investigation. The report was subsequently reviewed by industry and feedback received. The industry comments were reviewed by the Project Team and where considered necessary the report was updated.

The natural gas industry proposes carrying out trials on limited parts of the gas network using hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas as a fuel. Ahead of these trials it is important to establish whether the zones of negligible extent that are typically applied to natural gas systems could still be considered zones of negligible extent for hydrogen. The standard IGEM/UP/16 is commonly used by the natural gas industry to carry out area classification for low pressure gas systems for example as found in boiler houses. However IGEM/UP/16 is not applicable to hydrogen. Therefore IGEM commissioned HSE’s Science Division to develop some data that could be used to feed into an area classification assessment for the village trials.<br/>This report identifies two main elements of IGEM/UP/16 which may not apply to hydrogen and suggests values for hydrogen-specific alternatives. These are the ventilation rate requirements to allow a zone to be deemed of negligible extent and the definition of a confined space.