Decarbonising industry and businesses with hydrogen

Find out more about the project

About Us

East Coast Hydrogen is a collaboration between National Gas, Northern Gas Networks and Cadent to connect planned hydrogen production and storage with industrial users in the region, over the next 15 years.

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National Gas operate Britain’s gas transmission network, whilst Northern Gas Networks and Cadent own and operate the local distribution networks.  They aim to use new and repurposed pipework to bring a supply of 100% hydrogen to the region, providing an essential route to decarbonisation for industry and making a vital contribution to Net Zero.

Starting by connecting the industrial clusters of Teesside and the Humber Region, East Coast Hydrogen aims to connect to distributed hydrogen demand in Yorkshire, Tyneside and  the East Midlands before eventually connecting with other networks further afield to create a national hydrogen network   

Recognising the important role of hydrogen in our future energy system, the UK Government is aiming to deploy 10 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030, with 6GW being green hydrogen.  East Coast Hydrogen will play a critical role in the development of a regional hydrogen market, providing the opportunity to connect up to 11 GW of hydrogen production capacity (surpassing the national 10 GW target in a single region) and up to 4 TWh of hydrogen storage by 2030. The programme will play a pivotal role in helping the local economy to thrive, satisfying the decarbonisation needs of existing industry, which use large amounts of methane and creating a valuable hydrogen supply chain, whilst retaining and attracting businesses and jobs to enable to area to prosper.

By providing the network infrastructure needed to transport low-carbon hydrogen, East Coast Hydrogen will connect producers and storage providers to a range of customers, who expect to need over 63 TWh/year of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonise their operations. This fuel switching will save up to 12 MtCO2 per year by 2037.

Hydrogen can be used in the same way as natural gas but does not produce carbon dioxide when burned, only water, and if it is made in a ‘low carbon’ way, it is a suitable fuel to use in our Net Zero future. It is a vital decarbonisation solution for hard-to-abate industrial processes, which account for 16% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. Hydrogen also provides a decarbonisation solution for heavier forms of transport, including aviation and shipping and has the potential to play an important role in delivering low carbon-dispatchable power.

The Climate Change Committee has stated that low-carbon hydrogen will play a critical role in enabling the UK to meet its Net-Zero target by 2050, whilst The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has also recognised the important role of hydrogen and called for the development of a core network of hydrogen pipelines by 2035.

Upon its inception in 2021, the East Coast Hydrogen team completed a feasibility study which set out the roadmap for completing further investigation and designing the infrastructure required.

Over 120 organisations, spanning users, producers, storage suppliers and a myriad of local government and other stakeholders have now become consortium members and pledged their support to the programme. Many contributed vital data to the East Coast Hydrogen Delivery Plan which was launched at the end of 2023.  The Delivery Plan was developed using information from users about their decarbonisation plans, resulting in a programme which caters to the region’s needs. The plan complements UK government policy decisions and other hydrogen infrastructure projects and highlights the programme’s huge potential, due to over 30% of the UK’s industrial, commercial and residential gas usage located in the area.

The three East Coast Hydrogen Gas Networks are now seeking to access funding from the independent energy regulator, Ofgem to complete Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies and tackle the planning aspects of the infrastructure. This funding will allow the Gas Networks to start re-purposing and construction by the early 2030s, enabling significant fuel switching and therefore decarbonisation in the region.

Contact us if you’re interested in speaking to us, or becoming a consortium member.

Our partners

NGN

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) began operating in 2005, working to deliver gas to 2.7 million homes and businesses across the North East, northern Cumbria and much of Yorkshire. NGN works with the suppliers and gas partners to deliver through a vast network of underground pipes which are constantly being invested in and upgraded, and are always exploring cutting-edge thinking, revolutionary engineering practices and world-class science to find new ways to provide sustainable sources of energy.

Cadent Gas

Cadent Gas transports gas to 11 million homes throughout the North West, West Midlands, East Midlands, South Yorkshire, East of England and North London, as well as managing the National Gas Emergency Service on behalf of the gas industry. Cadent works to keep customers warm while also using the existing network to deliver greener gases to reduce carbon emissions.

National Gas

National Gas is the owner and operator of Britain’s gas transmission network, and plays a fundamental role in providing energy security for over 23million homes and 210,000 businesses across the country. They also provide industry-leading maintenance and management services for over 7 million domestic, industrial and commercial gas meters. National Gas invests in innovation to future-proof gas networks, including by repurposing existing assets, working in collaboration with the UK Government and industry partners, to deliver a hydrogen “backbone” for Britain.

Consortium members

Production & storage

Industry

Regional Stakeholders

Technology / Others

Key team members

Everything starts with a conversation

East Coast Hydrogen is run in partnership by Northern Gas Networks, Cadent and National Gas.

If you have an enquiry relating to your area, you should select the following when completing the contact form:

National enquiries – National Gas

North East, Northern Cumbria and Yorkshire – Northern Gas Networks

North West, West Midlands, East Midlands, South Yorkshire, East of England or North London – Cadent

For anything general, select general enquiry

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