Hydrogen when burned is zero carbon at the point of use, with only two by-products: heat and water, making it the ultimate clean fuel.
With its head office in Leeds, NGN is the gas distributer for the North East, northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire, transporting gas to towns and cities including Leeds, Newcastle, Bradford, Hull and Carlisle. NGN also provides the emergency response when a smell of gas is reported.
Mark Horsley, CEO of Northern Gas Networks commented: “As a gas industry, we are pleased that the UK Government, and now our regulator Ofgem, recognise the benefits that a conversion of the UK gas distribution networks to 100% hydrogen could bring.
“This decision moves us a step closer to supporting the Government in delivering clean growth and affordable energy for the UK, by unlocking the significant environmental and energy customer benefits such a conversion could create.”
When complete, the H21 NIC project will provide essential evidence to partner the Government’s £25 million ‘Downstream of the meter’ hydrogen programme, announced earlier this year, which examines using hydrogen as a potential heat source in the home.
The H21 NIC project is split into two phases, with the £10.3 million financing the Phase One controlled testing. Funding for the Phase Two field trials, valued at around £5 million, was not awarded by the regulator.