H21 Hydrogen Conversion Programme
DPS served as Senior Project Manager for the H21 Hydrogen Conversion suite of projects on behalf of the UK Gas Distribution Networks. This Network Innovation Competition (NIC) project was the first collaborative initiative involving all Great Britain GDNs.
Phase 1 assessed the feasibility of converting the UK gas distribution network from natural gas to 100% hydrogen. The project produced quantified, safety-based evidence confirming that Great Britain’s gas distribution networks are suitable for hydrogen transport. This evidence supports the case for a nationwide hydrogen conversion, representing one of the largest potential contributions toward meeting the Climate Change Act targets.
Since joining the project in 2017, DPS responsibilities have included:
- Authoring the successful £10.3m NIC innovation funding bid to Ofgem
- Managing the client team for design and delivery of test facilities at Buxton (background testing) and Spadeadam (consequence testing)
- Overseeing experimental testing programmes to compare risks between hydrogen and natural gas networks
- Supporting media engagement, including BBC Radio and regional news interviews
The project received the IGEM Project of the Year Award (2019).
Phase 2 builds on this work to provide critical safety evidence supporting hydrogen network conversion and the 100% hydrogen village trial, including:
- Network operations and maintenance procedures for hydrogen systems
- Unoccupied network trials
- End-to-end Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) using Phase 1 and Hy4Heat data
- Development of customer engagement and educational materials
In 2019 the project won the prestigious IGEM project of the year award.
