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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_WWU_02_15
Title	Hydrogen Village Regulation Project
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas) 20%; Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen) 80%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Wales and West Utilities
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 February 2023
End Date	31 July 2023
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£262,827
Industrial Sectors	Energy
Region	Wales
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Wales and West Utilities (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_WWU_02_15
Objectives	"The project builds on work by NGNs blending project HyDeploy funded by NIC and Cadents work on blending from industrial clusters at LTS and above. This project is part of the wider community energy project HyRes that is funded outside of NIA and seeks to demonstrate hydrogen blending into a rural below 7Bar network using established industry processes. The solution will be applicable to a wide range of rural areas considering community energy projects or Smart Local Energy Systems.The main aim of this project is to identify the commercial and regulatory requirements to enable locally generated hydrogen to be blended into a rural below 7Bar gas network to serve a village. The specific village being targeted within the HyRes project is South Cornelly, but the findings will be generalisable to other similar projects. The project will deliver recommendations for policy and regulatory developments to support similar future community energy projects. Data Quality Statement All data and information used in this project will be subject to Frontiers standard QA review process to ensure that project outputs are accurate to the best of their knowledge. At a high-level, our review process includes answering the following key questions: Validation – is the analysis a suitable representation of the world?; Verification: have all calculations included in the analysis been implemented correctly?; Data and assumptions: are the inputs to the analysis appropriate? They will ensure that sources of data and information are appropriately documented. Data and information collected as part of this project will be stored on their internal systems ensuring backup and future access. Measurement Quality Statement The project will be subject to Frontiers internal Quality Management System. Their internal Quality Management System is consistent with best practice quality assurance principles. For this project, all outputs and draft reports would be read, discussed, tested, and challenged internally before being delivered, to ensure the clarity, accuracy and relevance of the material presented. The team structure is such that there is clear accountability for the quality of the work which rests with the Project Manager in the first instance and ultimately with the Project Director. While this project will involve limited quantitative analysis, for all quantitative analysis undertaken on the project, Frontier would follow their standard QA review process. All project outputs will be stored on their internal systems ensuring backup and version management. The project is rated low in the common assessment framework detailed in the ENIP document after assessing the total project value, the progression through the TRL levels, the number of project delivery partners and the high level of data assumptions. No additional peer review is required for this project." "Scoping (Phase One)In this stage of work, Frontier will first confirm the relevant stakeholders they will engage with during Phase 2. For this project, the stakeholders are likely to include:Customers on the specific part of the network identified by the HyRes project, but also representatives from other customer types that could exist on other single feed below 7Bar networks. We will work with WWU to identify customers on the relevant network, but will also conduct out own research, including reaching out to Xoserve to understand what customer types they identified for HyDeploy;Hydrogen producers:Marubeni Europower, who we understand is planning to develop a green hydrogen demonstrator plant in Bridgend county borough, where South Cornelly is located;Other representative hydrogen producers that might supply projects similar to this;One or two other Gas Transporters, to ensure that conclusions are generalisable to other distribution networks;Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs);Shippers and Suppliers;Xoserve;Metering Equipment Managers;HyRes project representatives;Policymakers, specifically BEIS and Ofgem.Stakeholder Engagement (Phase two)The stakeholder engagement will involve a number of in-depth stakeholder workshops, as well as smaller ad-hoc discussions with specific stakeholders where necessary to further explore specific details. The core workshops will cover:In the first workshop, Frontier will present to stakeholders the impacts and challenges identified in the scoping meeting in Phase 1. The aim will be to discuss these in more detail and identify any additional impacts. The outcome of the workshop should be an agreed list of challenges to resolve.In subsequent workshops, the aim will be to develop solutions to the impacts/challenges/constraints identified. The aim throughout will be to identify changes only where necessary, to enable blending quickly, and at reasonable cost and effort.In total it is anticipated that three main workshops will take place.Consolidation (Phase three)In this stage, Frontier will review the inputs received from the stakeholder group, noting areas where there is and is not consensus. Where there is not consensus, they will carry out further work to evaluate the pros and cons of the different options. Any evaluation of options will need be based on a set of pre-determined criteria, covering factors such as delivering efficient outcomes, feasibility/practicality, path dependency towards 100% hydrogen, and fairness.Developing outputs (Phase four)This final stage will involve writing up the findings from the consolidation stage into a report.The report will summarise the recommended changes for the gas commercial and regulatory frameworks to enable this project and similar future projects, with explanations of the purpose and need for these changes, including an explanation of stakeholder views in each area. " To identify the commercial and regulatory requirements to enable locally generated hydrogen to be blended into a rural below 7Bar gas network to serve a village.
Abstract	"The UK Governments Energy White Paper (2020) has identified hydrogen as a potential source of decarbonised heat in buildings. In order to prove the viability of hydrogen the UK Government requires a strong evidence base before deciding whether to promote hydrogen distributed in the existing gas network infrastructure (at all current pressures) to decarbonise heat. WWU is working on the next phase of a project to develop Wales first low carbon village. This will consider the potential for locally generated hydrogen to be blended into the low pressure gas distribution network to serve a village. This project will examine the commercial and regulatory requirements for this project. The learning from the project will be applicable to other blended projects in the UK."
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	01/11/23