If you smell gas or are worried about gas safety, call 0800 111 999 at any time of the day or night. Read more

Press Office
0113 322 7950

Out of hours: 0113 322 7978

Stakeholder Relations Team

stakeholder@northerngas.co.uk

Smell Gas?
0800 111 999
Day or night
Non-emergency calls
Customer Care Team
0800 040 7766

Mark Horsley, CEO for Northern Gas Networks, the gas distributor for the North, has given his backing to the government’s £30 million investment in hydrogen demonstration projects contributing towards reaching Net Zero targets.

Horsley’s support follows Tuesday’s announcement from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that it is to provide £30 million for two of the UK’s first hydrogen production plants as part of a larger £90 million pot to cut carbon emissions in industry and homes.

Hydrogen, when burned, creates heat without producing carbon dioxide, making it a realistic solution for decarbonisation of heat.

Heating for domestic properties and industry currently accounts for around half of the UK’s energy consumption, and one third of its carbon emissions. Around 83% of UK homes use gas to for heat and hot water.

“This funding represents a huge step forwards in terms of the government recognising the gas networks’ role in meeting Net Zero targets, and demonstrating its support for hydrogen as a decarbonisation pathway,” said Horsley.

“The Committee on Climate Change made clear that hydrogen will be essential to meeting our commitment in the timescales available, and we know this will require strong collaboration between industry, the energy supply chain and government, in order to deliver greener energy to customers.

“Tuesday’s announcement demonstrates the determination the government has for driving this whole process forwards.”

Northern Gas Networks is leading the H21 project, a collaborative gas industry programme focused on conversion of the UK gas network to safely carry 100 % hydrogen.

It is also partnering Cadent and the Health & Safety Executive (Science Division) on HyDeploy, a ground-breaking energy pilot demonstrating that 20% vol. hydrogen can be safely blended into the existing network in order to reduce emissions, without changing customer appliances.

A live demonstration is currently underway at Keele University, with blended hydrogen supplying energy for heating and cooking to 100 homes and 30 campus buildings.

Fast facts

  • Heating homes and industry accounts for nearly half of all energy use in the UK and one third of the country’s carbon emissions.
  • Hydrogen was a major component in ‘town gas’, gas created from coal and used widely throughout Britain before the discovery of North Sea gas in the 1960s. Up to 60% of the gas (by volume) being used by consumers was hydrogen.

For more visit www.h21.green and www.hydeploy.co.uk