Northern Gas Networks (NGN), on behalf of all the UK gas distributers, has today been awarded £9million from Ofgem to support its pioneering hydrogen project. The funding arrives from the regulator’s Network Innovation Competition (NIC) pot, and will provide critical evidence to support the viability of converting the UK gas distribution networks to 100% hydrogen. A further £1.3 million will be contributed by the UK GDNs.
The £10.3 million funding will see NGN build upon the work of the 2016 H21 Leeds City Gate project which established hydrogen conversion is technically possible and economically viable.
Such a move would represent the single biggest contribution towards achieving the challenge of the Climate Change Act – an 80% reduction in 1990 carbon levels by the year 2050.