Plan for 300-mile hydrogen pipeline revealed

Tom BurgessNorth East and Cumbria
News imageNational Gas Two workmen in orange hi-vis jackets with white helmets on are walking in front of a large pipe and industrial site.National Gas
The pipe will run through Teesside, Yorkshire and the Humber and into the East Midlands

National Gas has announced plans for a 300-mile hydrogen pipeline along the east coast of England.

It will run through Teesside, Yorkshire and the Humber and into the East Midlands.

The underground hydrogen transmission pipe will connect some of the country's most important industrial regions.

National Gas programme director for hydrogen, Corinna Burger, said the project would drive "decarbonisation of one of the nation's most strategically important industrial corridors".

It is hoped Project Union will become the blueprint for a national hydrogen network for Britain.

National Gas said it planned to repurpose existing natural gas pipelines around the country as well as build new ones.

Professor Nashwan Dawood, research director for the Net Zero centre at Teesside University, said several hydrogen infrastructure projects had been delayed or cancelled in recent years.

"The proposed project directly addresses this challenge by enabling the transport and distribution of hydrogen, thereby supporting market growth and improving overall system efficiency," he said.

"By strengthening infrastructure, it will also contribute to reducing the cost of hydrogen over time."

News imageNational Gas A dark green map of the route the hydrogen pipeline will take from Teesside down through Yorkshire and into the Midlands. A key in the bottom left corner shows some sections will be new pipeline and others will be repurposed existing ones.National Gas
The planned route for the hydrogen pipeline

Hydrogen UK CEO, Clare Jackson, said the project would give "investors the confidence to move forward with projects across the UK".

"By connecting hydrogen production with the industries that need it, infrastructure like this will help ensure British industry remains competitive in the global energy transition while strengthening the UK's energy security," she said.

"This latest step shows the sector moving from ambition to delivery."

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