The time to act

In June, delegates flocked to Cavendish Square in London to hear about the future of the gas grid at our annual Policy Conference. This year’s focus was on the ticking net zero clock and how the industry must rapidly adapt.

Opening proceedings was IGEM President Nicola Evans who welcomed attendees and highlighted the importance of long-term policy planning to unlock the full potential of gas.

The first session of the day looked at realising the potential of biomethane and was chaired by IGEM’s CEO Oliver Lancaster.

Gary Bateman, Whole System and Gas Supply Manager at NESO addressed the room with a presentation on how biomethane is being used in pathways to net zero.

He balanced the key opportunities for biomethane with the challenges it may present in the future.

Next looking at how we can maximise green gas and the role that the producers and networks have was Nic Crowe, Development Director at Grissan Renewable Energy and Matt Hindle, Head of Net Zero and Sustainability at Wales & West Utilities.

Matt said: “If we increase biomethane generation up to at least 30twh by 2030, Great Britian can reduce its carbon emissions by switching natural gas for British biomethane.”

Then, the room heard insights into lessons learned from the French regulatory for biomethane development from Camille Poiroux, Head of Strategy, Markets and Partnerships at ENGIE.

She emphasised how France is a major player in the European biomethane market and detailed that the country has 731 units injecting into the grid.

After the panel took part in a Q&A session from the audience, it was time for a short refreshment break before kicking off session two.

The next round presentations shared details on hydrogen blending and was chaired by Sikander Mahmood, Hydrogen Project Delivery Manager at Cadent.

Troy Praag, Head of Network Strategy and Planning and Vikram Singh, Head of Renewable Gas Development both from AGIG dialled in via zoom call to discuss the company’s production of renewable hydrogen.

They shared details on South Australia’s Hydrogen Park and how renewable hydrogen is being blended safely and successfully into the existing gas networks, paving the way for commercial scale hydrogen to be rolled out.

Providing an overview on developing contracts for hydrogen was Megha Shah, Head of CCUS and H2 at the Low Carbon Contracts Company.

She said: “We play a central role in accelerating net zero with our scheme involving hydrogen, playing a part in Britain’s renewable energy strategy.”

Dharmesh Jadavji, Director at Baringa then delved into a system’s view of the role of hydrogen blending.

He stressed that hydrogen’s future role hinges solely on the support from policies and that if the support remains in place, then hydrogen will be essential for decarbonisation.

Last in the session was Heather Sheffield, Head of Strategic Planning at Northern Gas Networks who looked at how we can unlock the hydrogen economy through blending.

She said: “Hydrogen blending created immediate demand by guaranteeing a market for producers, encouraging investment and scaling production whole utilising existing gas infrastructure.

After delegates quizzed the panel experts further, it was time to break for lunch and networking.

Following the break, session three began which looked at end user technology, chaired by Victoria Mustard, Head of Whole Energy Customer Management at NESO.

Josja Roest, Director Public & Government Affairs Europe at Rheem looked at the positives of installing hybrid heat pumps in homes.

He divulged into their performance over two years and shared the cost savings made to the consumer.

Then Ian Mellor, Sales Director at Pure Thermal explored the opportunities for both gas and electric heat pumps.

He said: “Electric heat pumps transfer heat using a mechanical compressor powered by electricity, whereas gas absorption heat pumps rely on thermal energy from a gas burner. Both technologies support the move towards net zero.”

The final expert to present in this session was Sheila Lauchlan, Director at Perfect Dimensions Ltd who looked at how we can build the future.

She stressed the importance of investing in heat networks and re-skilling utility workers for a solution that balances ambition and common sense.

Following a panel Q&A, the room broke for the last refreshment break before re-grouping for the final session of the day which focused on the role of gas in a clean power mission.

This session was chaired by Erica Brown, Head of Policy at Future Energy Networks.

First on the agenda was Marcus Hunt, Business Development Director at SGN who explored the role of gas distribution in the clean power 2030 mission.

Marcus emphasised the value of of gas in the UK, claiming that we use twice the amount of it compared to electricity, where a third of that generated from gas-fired turbines.

Then attendees heard key points on how gas transmission provides security and resilience to 2030 and beyond from Lloyd Mitchell, Senior Project Manager at National Gas Transmission.

He outlined the details of the company’s initiative, Project Union, and how it will connect and enable net zero and create a hydrogen backbone for the UK.

Next up was a discussion on the role of gas generation and the transition/development of low-carbon dispatchable power led by Ian Cook, Head of Hydrogen Business Development at SSE plc.

He said: “A secure clean power system requires urgent action to deliver additional low carbon generation with supporting infrastructure, a shared understanding of actions and clear roles with defined targets to decarbonise.”

Last up to present was Andrew Sclater, Principal Engineer at Progressive Energy Ltd who delved into power projects in the HyNet cluster.

He highlighted that hydrogen will be delivered for power generation and carbon capture from HyNet in the near future.

After the panel took questions from the audience, IGEM President Elect Darren Elsom closed the day by thanking our expert speakers for interesting insights and attendees for taking the time out of their day to come along.

A big thanks goes to event sponsors Cadent, National Gas, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities.