HyDeploy & Lessons Learned

Chris Manson-Whitton

Progressive Energy

The Future of Gas II Conference 5 February 2019

Supported by

davelander

consulting

And many contributors and supporters from the industry

Project Leads and Partners

Introduction to HyDeploy

To demonstrate for the first time that a blend of hydrogen and natural gas can be distributed and utilised safely & efficiently in the UK distribution network without disruptive changes for consumers.

Project Objective

Project Funded under OFGEM’s Network Innovation Programme

Why Blending Hydrogen?

Blending hydrogen into the gas grid delivers low carbon heat to customers without requiring disruptive and expensive changes in their homes

Blending 20% hydrogen into our existing gas grid would save as much carbon as

removing 2.5 million cars from the roads

Developing the science base, regulatory position, supply chain and customer perceptions of hydrogen`

Non disruptive

Material savings

Pathway to deeper savings

Blending is gaining recognition as an important element of the energy system

Why Keele?

• Under its Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) programme, Keele is at the forefront of energy network research

• The gas grid at Keele is particularly suitable for this project as it is self-contained and the buildings served are typical of a small town

• Keele is licensed transporter & supplier of gas to those customers. It is their gas network that they own and operate

• Provides a tightly managed context for a first of a kind project

600 acre site

Gas Safety (Management) Regulations GS(M)R

• Currently GS(M)R governs gas quality in the UK grid

• In order to transport a hydrogen blend in the gas grid, a specific Exemption is required to GS(M)R, which can only be granted the HSE

• Exemption can only be permitted only if the health and safety of persons likely to be affected will not be prejudiced by increasing the hydrogen content of the gas conveyed

Overview P

has

e 1

Exemption

Ph

ase

2

Installation

Ph

ase

3

Trial

Apr 2017 Nov 2018 Aug 2019 Mar 2020

Phase 1 Activities

Grid Entry Unit

Network Modifications

Physical Delivery

Onsite

Safety Checks

Customer Engagement

Site Appliance & Installation Checks

Technical analytical

Enabling Activities

HSE & Exemption process including Risk Assessment

HSE Exemption

Enables

Installation

(Phase 2) &

Live trial (Phase 3)

Electrolyser Appliance Lab Work

Billing

Engagement with Policy makers and wider stakeholders

Procedures

Exemption Scope

Keele Site Appliances Procedures Equipment

QRA

Materials Gas

Characteristics

Trial Mgt

Exemption

42 documents with 1400 pages of documentation submitted

EU Projects

• Having a strong regulatory framework is a valued enabler, not an impediment

• Extensive & constructive engagement with HSE throughout the process

• The application underwent challenge and review with the HSE regulatory & Science Division with over 140 clarification questions

• Excellent sessions with probing questions. This requires resource

• Exemption granted swiftly - in around 4 months

Exemption Process

Transition to Phase 2

Exemption

Planning Permission

Keele Governance University Executive Committee

Steering Committee Agreement

Process

complete 1st November

2018

Phase 2 Phase 3

Lessons learned so far

Lessons Learned

Overall Technical

QRA Customer

Procedures

Team

Overall project lessons & attributes • The level of evidence required by the HSE to

evidence the safety case should not be underestimated

• Foundational evidence has been developed –for HyDeploy, and wider hydrogen adoption

• All Ofgem SDRCs to date have been successfully delivered

• The project is held in high regard by stakeholders in the UK and internationally

• Advisory Board complimentary about the quality of work & the value of this project in informing future heat policy

Overall

Technical Lessons Learned • This is necessarily an Exemption to deliver

a hydrogen blend into the specific site at Keele for a trial period only

• Manage the complexity for a First of a Kind project

• The focus of much of the work has been to ensure that the evidence for ‘no change’ is robust. This is often more arduous than justifying a specified change

• A summary of the key scientific/technical findings will follow in the next presentation

Procedure Lessons Learned • All applicable procedures have been

comprehensively reviewed and assessed for the Exemption

• The outturn changes to procedures are relatively limited

• Demonstrating that existing procedures are safe and suitable is a considerable task - even if the final outcome does not appear significantly different

• Operational deliverability & training is key

• A collaborative forum of operational knowledge combined with analytical science is invaluable

QRA Lessons Learned • The detailed 200+ gate/event Quantitative Risk

Assessment is central to the Exemption

• Available gas industry data is not always as detailed as would be ideal

• The most challenging task is translating core scientific findings into quantitative data for QRA

• As planned, at Keele conservative positions on inputs could be taken, where evidence is currently more limited. Compensated with specific mitigation measures, given the site & available controls

• For public network operation, evidence base must be extended, so the assessments of risk can be more precisely drawn; requiring less conservatism. Necessary as fewer specific measures can be applied

Customer Lessons Learned • Learning from best practice, the project

achieved excellent customer engagement

• A dedicated customer liaison officer; passionate about the project and addressing customer needs

• Feedback positive & good access achieved

• Don’t underestimate the time and effort to communicate with customers

• The ‘few’ require the ‘majority’ of the effort

• Issues are often not ‘project’ related

• Timing of engagement is important

Team Lessons Learned • The team is well formulated, complementary

and is delivering high quality work effectively • The marriage between scientific rigour and

practical experience is critical for success • Formalised governance arrangements from

separate teams within HSE/HSL worked well • Communicating assessments of complex risk

profiles effectively through organisations is important

• Internal project reporting processes provide visibility to enable informed decisions

• Collaborative engagement with other projects enables sharing of information & best practice, avoiding duplication and improving outcomes

Objective: Building on the foundational work at Keele University to demonstrate on public distribution networks that a blend of hydrogen and natural gas can be distributed and utilised safely & efficiently in the UK distribution network without disruptive changes for consumers.

Outcome: That a supplier of hydrogen is able to apply & inject hydrogen into a gas distribution network, just as biomethane producers can today.

Applying the Learning

Overall Timeline

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Safety Case Installation Trial @ Keele

Safety Case Install 1st Public Trial

Safety Case Install 2nd Public Trial

HyDeploy @ Keele

Pathway to Deployment

Enabling Deployment

Includes blending to over 2 million customers, enabled by HyDeploy

HyNet North West NGN, Northern Powergrid & Newcastle University

Local authority desire to see power to gas projects delivered

Key foundations for wider and deeper use of hydrogen: Scientific evidence, Regulatory development, Supply chain building

Delivering safe and non-disruptive carbon reduction for gas customers