Scottish trial confirms UK gas network potential for transporting hydrogen
SGN says it has successfully demonstrated that the UK’s natural gas network can be repurposed to transport hydrogen. The LTS Futures live trial proves that the current gas infrastructure can also play a bigger role in cutting carbon emissions in the future, the energy provider said.
The project aims to demonstrate that the UK’s high-pressure Local Transmission System (LTS) – 11,600km of pipeline that brings gas from the national system to homes, businesses and industries can safely carry hydrogen.
The trial saw a representative 30km stretch of the LTS pipeline between Granton near Edinburgh and Grangemouth, repurposed to carry hydrogen – a first live trial for the UK.
The LTS Futures pipeline route was chosen due to its representative nature to the rest of the UK’s LTS. The pipeline navigates through rural land and crosses key infrastructure such as rail, road and rivers.
The company, said:
LTS Futures will create a blueprint for repurposing the entire LTS to hydrogen.
This could help create regional hydrogen hubs, support industrial clusters, and potentially provide a pathway for a wider transition to low-carbon hydrogen. As a critical part of the UK’s gas infrastructure, the successful conversion of the LTS to hydrogen would mean a low-disruption, resilient backbone for our net zero energy system.
The project included testing of two tasks which are key to safely operating and maintaining gas pipelines:
- Hot works – welding and drilling into the live pipeline to create a new connection. An example of hot works is attaching a new tee fitting to an existing pipeline by welding and drilling into it, all while the system continues to operate. By completing hot works with hydrogen flowing, the project was able to successfully test the necessary procedures and confirm how the equipment performs when working with hydrogen.
- Flow stopping – isolating the flow of hydrogen in the pipe. This is a technique used to temporarily block the flow of gas in a pipeline so work can be carried out safely, without shutting down the whole system.
Tony Green, Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer, said:
This landmark project is a major milestone for SGN and the wider energy sector, showing that the UK’s gas infrastructure can be repurposed for a net zero future.
It demonstrates both infrastructure and workforce readiness for hydrogen, with our skilled engineers gaining vital experience through the live trial. Collaboration has been crucial, and working closely with Ineos and other partners has turned a complex concept into a success.
He added:
The gas network remains vital, meeting 40% of primary energy demand and powering key industries.
We are already on the journey towards decarbonised gas by increasing the amount of green gas, such as biomethane, in the network. Hydrogen presents a further opportunity to deliver low-carbon energy solutions, and this project is an important step in demonstrating that the LTS network can support hydrogen playing a key role in the UK’s future energy mix.”
SGN is also delivering the H100 Fife project, a complete end-to-end hydrogen system in Levenmouth, Fife– from green hydrogen production and secure storage, through to safe use in homes via a gas distribution network.
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Scottish trial confirms UK gas network potential for transporting hydrogen, source
