Utilities turn green With the deadline on the horizon for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050, we find out how sustainability issues are affecting the utilities sector and how energy sources are changing.
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s the UK looks to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, a lot of attention has been focused on the energy sources that will replace fossil fuels. Hydrogen, a gas which when burnt produces nothing more harmful than water, is currently attracting a great deal of interest. Pilot schemes are already underway in the UK, such as H100, H21, HyNTS, Hydeploy and HyNet, projects which aim to create a low-carbon exemplar cluster that can act as a UK model for clean growth.” If some of the technical constraints surrounding the clean production of hydrogen can be overcome it could potentially replace natural gas, providing
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zero emission cooking and heating for domestic homes and power for factories and other industrial users. Production of hydrogen has so far grabbed most of the headlines, with comparatively little coverage given to the infrastructure required to distribute the gas around the country. Current thinking suggests that some of the existing natural gas distribution network and other infrastructure (which is itself being modernised) will be capable of being repurposed for pure hydrogen. However, Fisher German partner Mark Gilkes says: “It’s likely that the necessary rights will have to be obtained to facilitate the repurposing of the network and considerable lengths of new transmission
pipelines will be required to create a high pressure hydrogen spine network, which will feed the distribution network to consumers.”
Better together
The prospect of new pipelines brings with it potential conflict with landowners. Historically utility providers have negotiated with relevant parties to allow a variety of pipeline types to be laid and connected to other infrastructure, at the same time as requesting planning consent from the relevant local authority. Where negotiations have failed, utility companies have had to resort to CPOs (compulsory purchase orders), which can be a time-consuming and costly process.
