SGN is set to move to the next stage of its LTS Futures project, after Ofgem granted it approval to trial 100% hydrogen gas through a 30km decommissioned pipeline running from the Grangemouth refinery to Granton, just outside of Edinburgh.
SGN has been working to verify how compatible Britain’s local transmission system (LTS) is with hydrogen gas. Over the past year, SGN engineers and researchers have been carrying out surveys and assessments into the integrity of the pipeline. This has involved pushing a Pipeline Inspection Gauge through the pipeline, using compressed air to clean it, before then identifying any critical defects.
It has also seen a hydrotest carried out, where engineers filled the entirety of the pipeline filled with water exceeding the pressure the pipeline will be exposed to during the live trial, as well as an exploration of the condition of the pipeline above ground, below ground and at river crossings.
This evidence was then submitted to Ofgem, which confirmed the suitability of the pipeline for hydrogen testing.
Commenting on the move to the next stage of testing, SGN’s Director of LTS Futures, Gemma Simpson, said: “Offsite trials will allow us to test procedures for making new connections to the pipeline. This includes the first ever live welding procedure on a hydrogen pipeline. If we’re successful we’ll be able to proceed to a live trial in 2024 which will deliver a blueprint for repurposing Great Britain’s LTS network, driving decarbonisation and supporting our net zero goals.”
