DNV Selected as Owner’s Engineer for Cadent’s H2East Hydrogen Pipeline FEED
DNV has been selected as Owner’s Engineer for the FEED of Cadent’s proposed H2East hydrogen pipeline, a project aimed at linking hydrogen production and industrial demand centers in eastern England.
(P&GJ) — DNV has been appointed by Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, as Owner’s Engineer for the front-end engineering design (FEED) of Cadent’s H2East Pipeline, a proposed hydrogen transmission project linking the Humber region to Nottinghamshire.
The H2East Pipeline is intended to connect hydrogen production sites with industrial demand centers in South Humberside and Nottinghamshire, forming part of the initial transmission capacity required to support industrial decarbonization and low-carbon, dispatchable power generation.
Under the appointment, DNV will review and assure the FEED contractor’s work to confirm the design is technically robust, buildable, and aligned with safety and performance requirements specific to hydrogen service. The scope includes applying research and testing insights related to hydrogen material performance, pipeline repurposing and safety modeling to identify potential design risks early in the project lifecycle.
“This project matters especially because hydrogen infrastructure must be engineered for a system that does not yet fully exist,” said Hari Vamadevan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director for the UK & Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV. “Our role is to challenge assumptions, test design decisions against real-world behaviour, and bring evidence from global hydrogen research into the earliest stages of planning. It relies on our proven capability to combine deep gas industry expertise with specialized hydrogen competency and major project risk management. If the foundational engineering is right, the UK can scale hydrogen production and transport safely, efficiently, and at lower cost.”
DNV said its role is designed to reduce project risk and limit the potential for costly redesigns by ensuring the FEED work can withstand regulatory, financial and operational scrutiny.
The appointment comes as the UK government and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) increase funding for hydrogen transport infrastructure. The H2East Pipeline project has secured support through Ofgem’s Net Zero Pre-construction Work and Small Projects (NZASP) process to advance through the FEED phase.