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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_CAD0035
Title	HyNet Expansion Options
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Energy system analysis) 25%; Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Other infrastructure and systems R&D) 75%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Systems Analysis related to energy R&D (Other Systems Analysis) 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given Cadent Gas
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 April 2019
End Date	01 June 2020
Duration	ENA months
Total Grant Value	£376,333
Industrial Sectors	Energy
Region	London
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , Cadent Gas (100.000%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Cadent Gas (0.000%)
Web Site	https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/NIA_CAD0035
Objectives	The methodology is to assess overall hydrogen demand across the region under a high hydrogen scenario, recognising that this is unlikely to fully come to fruition before 2030. The high hydrogen scenario will include industrial fuel switching, network blending, heavy transport and flexible power generation, but will exclude domestic conversion of existing properties. The project can broadly be split into the following work packages:1 – Hydrogen Demand Assessment:• Determine a likely seasonal demand profile for hydrogen if used as up to a 20% hydrogen blend throughout the NW region. Using scenarios developed in the HyMotion study, determine a profile for transport demand for Hydrogen in the NW region. Using the approach developed in the original HyNet study, coupled with assessments in the recent Fuel Switching report issues by E4Tech / Jacobs, determine a profile for industrial demand for Hydrogen. • Undertake a desktop assessment of flexible low carbon generation technologies through engagement with both technology vendors and operators. This information, including cost information, will be synthesised to determine a suite of the most promising technologies; Identify existing gas-powered flexible generation sites in the NW region, including existing CCGT sites, peaking plant and captive power plants• Determine a regional level demand profile for hydrogen assuming conversion of current gas-powered flexible generation plant, and, based on FES scenarios, an assessment of likely demand scenarios in 2030, including the construction of any new-build plant to meet increased requirements for flexible power generation2 – Annualised Demand Profile and Storage Assessment Requirement:• Combine the flexible generation, distribution network blending, transport and industrial fuel switching profiles to generate an overall hydrogen demand profile for 2030 and consider the limits on expansion thereafter.• Identify the volume of storage required to cost-effectively smooth the hydrogen demand profile (recognising that the cost-effectiveness of storage will progressively increase). Identify suitable locations for the storage infrastructure, based on an assessment of existing gas storage sites and a desktop geological assessment of potential new sites.3 – Determination of Hydrogen Production Requirement:• Determine the amount of hydrogen production capacity required to meet the smoothed demand profile established in Phase 2 and the resultant volume of annual CO2 capture and storage required and assess against existing HyNet CO2 pipeline and storage constraints. • If total regional demand for hydrogen outstrips CO2 pipeline capacity, identify a range of potential demand scenarios that could be achieved within the constraints (e.g. just distribution network blending, or just industrial fuel switching, or some form of combination). 4 – Determine Hydrogen Network Configuration Requirements:• Determine potential Hydrogen Local Transmission network configurations that could meet the supply scenarios identified in Phase 3. • Determine CO2 transport and storage constraints and key investment milestones 5 – Cost Benefit Assessment and roadmap:• Using existing cost benchmarks for hydrogen production, pipeline construction and storage infrastructure, determine indicative cost benefit assessments for the scenarios identified and developed in Phases 3&4. Benefits should include carbon savings existing the business as usual counterfactual,and hence an assessment of the abatement cost and an estimate of the GVA involved• Assemble an outline business case for Hynet.6 – Stakeholder management and reporting• Help communicate and facilitate the creation of a wider business case for a low carbon industrial cluster in the North West including discussion of possible new market structures. The study will be focussed on opportunities in the North West Region, in which Cadent has a current natural gas use of 70 TWh/annum, which is a significant proportion of total gas use across Cadents entire network and equates to a continuous load of 8,000MWth with a 1 in 20 peak of approximately 20,000MW (although noting that the majority of power stations to be considered in this study are connected to the NTS, and are additional to this figure). Nearby opportunities in the adjoining WWU area will also be considered.The emphasis of the work will be on understanding the likely demand profile for hydrogen under a high hydrogen scenario and determining whether this can be met from an expansion of the HyNet project, given constraints, particularly in the proposed CO2 transport and storage system.Whilst the scope of the work is upon Cadents distribution network, the majority of the work and methods can be applied across other GDN areas (and, to a lesser extent, the NTS) and the work will inform other GDNs planning of strategies in relation to supply of hydrogen supply for flexible power within their networks. The overarching objective of this work is to provide an assessment of the potential expansion opportunities for the HyNet project to provide wider decarbonisation benefits across the North West region. This objective will be delivered in the form of a report, setting out a range of practically achievable potential supply and demand scenarios, a cost benefit analysis of each in the form of carbon abatement cost assessments. The results of the work will be used to help secure Regional and Government stakeholder support.
Abstract	The methodology is to assess overall hydrogen demand across the region under a high hydrogen scenario, recognising that this is unlikely to fully come to fruition before 2030. The high hydrogen scenario will include industrial fuel switching, network blending, heavy transport and flexible power generation, but will exclude domestic conversion of existing properties.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	09/11/22