The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) has welcomes the H21 Leeds City Gate report, which sets out how the gas grid in Leeds can be converted to hydrogen. The report, a collaboration between Northern Gas Networks (NGN), Wales & West Utilities, Kiwa Gastex and Amec Foster Wheeler, shows how shifting from natural gas to hydrogen could make a dramatic contribution towards meeting the UK’s decarbonisation goals. Converting natural gas into hydrogen takes place via a process called Steam Methane Reforming – this turns the gas into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. To achieve the significant emissions reductions from this process, the H21 report proposes to use CCS to capture and store the carbon dioxide from the conversion – with hydrogen remaining as a zero-carbon fuel that can be used for heating, transport and electricity. Dr. Luke Warren, Chief Executive of the CCSA, commented: “To meet the UK’s ambitious climate change goals will require decarbonisation across the economy – this report sets out an excellent proposal to turn the UK’s gas grid into a hydrogen network, which can reduce emissions and provide a long-term future for the UK’s gas infrastructure." "However this option largely depends on the availability of CCS and we therefore call on the Government to come forward with their new approach to CCS as soon as possible and to ensure that this new approach enables the use of CCS to produce low-carbon hydrogen, as well as to reduce emissions from energy intensive industries and power." "Today’s report highlights the value of CCS to the UK economy, and we therefore need a collaborative partnership between industry and Government to develop this crucial low-carbon infrastructure”.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is needed to deal with the CO2 created by the conversion of natural gas into hydrogen through steam methane reforming, according to a report from H21 Leeds City Gate, a group set up to study replacing natural gas with hydrogen in the UK city. The report calls on the UK government to urgently revise its approach to CCS, develop its infrastructure, and collaborate with the industry. “CCS has been shown to be an effective way for reducing carbon emissions but it needs to be developed much more quickly than currently planned,” said Dr David King, director of energy at Leeds City Gate.