UK Plans 1,242-Mile Hydrogen Pipeline Network as Gas Reserves Decline
E. GERDEN, Contributing Editor
The UK pipeline sector is steadily developing despite ever-depleting national gas reserves, while government efforts to reduce fossil fuel use are forcing the country to consider alternative energy sources in the years ahead.
The UK operates one of the most reliable and diverse energy systems in the world, in addition to an extensive natural gas pipeline network that supplies 84% of domestic homes. Domestic gas fields in the North Sea and Irish Sea once accounted for most of the country’s gas output. However, in recent years, output has declined, and no new major fields have been developed. Today, the UK can meet only 50% of its domestic gas needs and is heavily dependent on imports. The country has not been energy self-sufficient since 2004.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a slump in natural gas demand in Great Britain. However, gas demand has increased in recent years. Limited domestic reserves and high global prices mean the UK will have to identify alternative energy resources quickly—within the next decade.
One possible option involves more active use of hydrogen (H₂). In fact, the country has already begun a gradual conversion of its pipeline network to support H₂. In accordance with earlier plans announced by National Gas—the company that owns the UK gas pipeline network—H₂ will be added to Britain’s gas supply in 2026, while its overall share of the fuel flowing through the country’s transmission network should already be in the range of 2%–5% this year. Special attention will be paid to ensuring H₂ is supplied to areas of the country that cannot be electrified.
The UK has a 4,700-mi (7,666-km) gas pipeline network, as well as 500 above-ground installations, and there is a high possibility that at least part of this network could be reconfigured for H₂ supplies.
As Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas, previously said, the UK “already had the infrastructure in place to roll out H₂ in the main gas supply, which is important, given that the gas fields of the North Sea are rapidly depleting.”
There is also the possibility that some of these projects could be implemented on some of the UK’s major gas pipelines. One of these is the 197-mi (317-km) South Wales Gas Pipeline, also known as the Milford Haven pipeline, which is the UK’s largest high-pressure gas pipeline.
As North Sea gas continues to dwindle, two new LNG terminals have been constructed in South Wales—one of the UK’s biggest industrial regions—to allow for an increase in liquefied natural gas imports, which the South Wales Gas Pipeline would help integrate into the west of England’s gas supply.
At the same time, local authorities and investors in South Wales are planning to build a new 80-mi H₂ pipeline.
These plans were announced earlier by local gas distribution firm Wales & West Utilities, and successful implementation of the project would allow accelerated decarbonization for industry by providing a major energy lifeline for the region.
As Matthew Hindle, Head of Net Zero and Sustainability at Wales & West Utilities, noted in an interview with the British business publication Express, the pipeline will be 80 mi (130 km) long and could unlock a further 1,677 mi (2,700 km) of existing network that can be repurposed for H₂.
The implementation of these plans will be part of the existing major UK H₂ “backbone” project known as Project Union, which was initiated by National Grid—the former owner of National Gas—at the beginning of the 2020s.
The project aims to connect industrial clusters around the country, potentially creating a 1,242-mi (2,000-km) H₂ pipeline network for the UK by 2030. The project also involves repurposing approximately 25% of the current gas transmission pipeline network, based on the government’s 10-point plan to invest more than £1 billion to unlock the potential of H₂ and support the establishment of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in four industrial clusters throughout the country.
Presently, a number of H₂ trials are ongoing in different parts of the UK. However, some have faced local opposition and a lack of resources.
The UK has traditionally exported large volumes of natural gas to the European Union, supported by its LNG terminals, which are capable of receiving gas delivered by ship and moving it to the continent. However, as domestic gas reserves decline, the country may consider reducing supplies sent to mainland Europe.
In addition to a domestic pipeline network, the UK’s plans also involve implementing important overseas projects.
One such project involves jointly constructing a 400-mi (644-km) H₂ pipeline with Germany under the North Sea to supply the country with hydrogen. Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels is even greater than the UK’s, and building the new pipeline as part of a joint plan could begin to address that problem.
Several proposals for the planned pipeline are under consideration, including a direct route under the North Sea to Germany and an alternative route through Norway. As part of the project, the UK plans to harness its vast offshore wind resources to produce H₂, then move the product through the North Sea pipeline to Germany.
The project is estimated to cost $3.3 billion. The newly built pipeline would have the capacity to meet 10% of European H₂ import demand and could be online by the mid-2030s.
Scotland—with its significant potential to produce green electricity through offshore wind—is expected to be a major beneficiary of the plan, as the country contains one potential site for the UK end of the pipeline.
An official UK government spokesperson previously commented on the country’s plans to become one of the major exporters of H₂ to Europe within the next several years.
“We want to play a key role in exporting H₂ to other countries, including in Europe, where we see increased demand,” the spokesperson said.
In the coming decades, Germany is poised to become Europe’s largest H₂ import market by far, with plans to purchase and import roughly 70% of the H₂ it needs to reach its net-zero goals.
H₂ supplies through UK pipelines could also be increased to Belgium through the existing gas interconnector between Norfolk County in the UK and the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium. Most of these gas supplies are expected to be transported from the so-called “Scottish Cluster”—a collection of industrial carbon capture and carbon dioxide (CO₂) transportation and storage infrastructure projects.
Butterworth said:
“For the critical British businesses that we serve, this agreement with the Belgian operator, Fluxys, will help to secure their future and fuel growth and innovation. We have all the components of a world-leading H₂ industry, and through the project we have the capability to connect H₂ production and storage with end users through a H₂ network of up to 2,000 km (1,242 mi).”
The UK now has two major undersea pipelines connecting Britain with Belgium and the Netherlands, allowing it to export gas to mainland Europe.
Cloudy domestic prospects.
Despite active lobbying for domestic H₂ and its major advantages, the fuel’s prospects within the UK remain cloudy. Many local and national government officials plan to move away from H₂ and natural gas for home heating as part of efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
This poses a threat to portions of the British gas network that could be decommissioned if they are no longer needed. At present, many UK public and government officials have serious doubts about H₂ as the best option for heating homes.
In November 2023, the UK National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) urged ministers to reject the fuel source altogether and opt for heat pumps instead. According to NIC experts, heat pumps are far more efficient and readily available than H₂, despite the potential challenges associated with a broad heat pump rollout.
Such conclusions are bad news for many UK pipeline operators. Many anticipate an overall 50% decline in gas transported through the country’s network by 2050, while potential problems with using H₂ as a natural gas replacement could create substantial losses within the next decade.
Amid concerns about possible decommissioning and overall uncertainty surrounding H₂, some operators have not ruled out suspending further investments in infrastructure and pipeline upgrades.
Analysts at local gas regulator Ofgem and some British energy experts believe this may also lead to a sharp increase in gas tariffs for private customers and UK households—up to 85% of which still use natural gas and are not prepared for electric heating.
In any case, operators still have time to consider their future, given that the government is expected to make its final decision regarding the future of H₂ in the UK this year.
About the Author
EUGENE GERDEN is a journalist who specializes in covering the global oil and pipeline sectors. He has worked for several industry publications and can be reached at gerden.eug@gmail.com.