One Step Closer to a North West Hydrogen Economy
Otto Simon • September 3, 2019
The HyNet project has been awarded £0.8m by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to undertake further feasibility work in relation to hydrogen supply and use by industry.
HyNet is an integrated low carbon hydrogen production, distribution, and CCUS project. It encompasses and number of programmes aiming to provide hydrogen distribution and CCUS infrastructure across the north west in support of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy and achievement of the UK’s emissions reduction targets. 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. The new BEIS funding has been allocated to support the Hydrogen Supply programme (£0.5m); and the BEIS Industrial Fuel Switching Programme (£0.3m).
Otto Simon is delighted to be supporting the BEIS Industrial Fuel Switching programme which involves Progressive Energy and several major industrial gas users in the North West. The project is investigating the conversion to hydrogen of several major industrial plant, including boilers, kilns, furnaces and heaters for major companies, including Pilkington UK Ltd. The plants will be supplied by low carbon hydrogen by pipelines from the production plant being development at Stanlow under the Hydrogen Supply programme.
Progressive Energy is currently leading the development of bids into the next phases of the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition and hopes to secure up to a further £15m to undertake front-end design studies and demonstrations. OSL is currently supporting the investigations into the feasibility of hydrogen use on each site.
As recently recognised by the Committee on Climate change, low carbon hydrogen has a vital role to play in meeting the UK’s ‘Net Zero’ commitments. With an appropriate policy framework, HyNet could be producing and distributing low carbon hydrogen by 2024.
OSL is proud to be supporting this project and looks forward to the future of developing a Hydrogen Economy in the North West.
Visit the HyNet webpage
for more info.
Back to Blog
Show More
Recent Blog Posts
Otto Simon recently attended the Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) annual conference in Westminster, London, a key event for the hydrogen industry. The conference featured a keynote speech by Sarah Jones, UK Government Minister of State for Industry and Net Zero , highlighting the government's commitment to this crucial sector. Our team had the invaluable opportunity to hear directly from industry-leading hydrogen experts , gaining first-hand insights into the latest policies and government funding initiatives. This direct access to information is vital for staying at the forefront of hydrogen advancements. Congratulations to Clive Mansfield and Clare Dunkerley from our team, who actively participated in the networking sessions, engaging in discussions about hydrogen and safety —a critical aspect of our work. They also gathered useful information that will directly benefit our ongoing hydrogen projects.
Here at Otto Simon, we're committed to staying at the forefront of safety and compliance in Process Plant projects. That's why two of our seasoned principal engineers, Mike Wray and Mike Westerman, recently attended a crucial refresher course on machinery regulations at the HSE Science and Research Centre. In the world of Process Plant projects, it's common to encounter machinery assemblies where vendors don't provide a declaration of conformity. With the recent publication of the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230/EU, it's more important than ever to be on top of the latest guidelines. This ensures we can continue to offer our UK-based clients the best advice on their responsibilities and how to apply conformity assessments when machinery risks are present. This applies to both new equipment and the repurposing of existing machinery. Considering there are over 800 standards related to machinery design, our approach is meticulous. We utilise a thorough hazard identification process to carefully evaluate risks and implement best practice safety mitigations in all our designs. This proactive approach helps us ensure the highest level of safety for your projects. Please get in touch for assistance.
Prime Minister, Kier Starmer visits St Helens, Merseyside today as he paid a visit to the Glass Futures facility! The Prime Minister spoke to workers at the facility this morning, Thursday, May 29 during a visit. “Can I just start by thanking those that work here for showing me this morning what you do, showing me the skills that you have, telling me a bit about what goes on here and the incredible history. “If I’ve understood what you’ve told me glass has been made on this very site for the best part of 250 years." “I think Pilkington may have been running the business before, and we can actually just see Pilkington out there so for you to be continuing with Glass Futures, very apt name, working here is fantastic and I can see how proud you are of what you do, each of you contributing with your different skills to what is happening here." The Labour politician added: “As I’ve said many, many, times you can read a briefing in London or you can come and see the workforce and come and see the people with the real skills and understand what they’re doing and thank you for allowing me to do the second of those as I’ve got a really good sense of what you’re doing here, how you’re doing it and the incredible way you’re doing it, each of you contributing in your own way and I can see that pride.” The £54m innovative research and technology facility was opened in Peasley Cross in 2023, at the former United Glass site. The mission is to help decarbonise the global glass industry by pioneering ways of making carbon-neutral glass.