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.
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