Launched in April 2022, SGN’s £30m LTS Futures project is a three-year effort to verify the compatibility of the UK’s local transmission system (LTS) with hydrogen gas. The company has been carrying out tests on the suitability of a decommissioned pipeline for a live hydrogen repurposing trial.
Over the past year, SGN engineers and researchers have carried out surveys and assessments to determine the integrity of the 30km long pipeline that runs from Grangemouth refinery to Granton, near Edinburgh.
The tests included pushing a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) through the pipeline using compressed air to clean it and identify any critical defects.
A hydrotest was also conducted, filling the entire pipeline with water exceeding the pressure the pipeline will be exposed to during the live trial. The team has also inspected the condition of the pipeline above ground, below ground and at river crossings.
SGN submitted evidence gathered from the testing to Ofgem, which has confirmed the suitability of the pipeline for hydrogen testing.
Gemma Simpson, SGN director of LTS Futures, said: “We’re delighted Ofgem has allowed us to continue to the second stage gate for this critical project which will be to connect the existing pipeline to a hydrogen supply from our project partners, INEOS. Offsite trials will allow us to test procedures for making new connections to the pipeline. This includes the first ever live welding procedure on a hydrogen pipeline.
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“If we’re successful we’ll be able to proceed to a live trial in 2024 which will deliver a blueprint for repurposing Great Britain’s LTS network, driving decarbonisation and supporting our net zero goals.”
Simpson continued: “We believe hydrogen has the potential to provide customers with a choice on how they heat their homes as part of a whole systems approach for decarbonising heat.”
As well as SGN, leading UK gas infrastructure firms are helping to build an evidence base for hydrogen that will inform government heat policy decisions expected in 2026.
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