Examining the UK’s Current Hydrogen Safety Landscape
With a target to reach net zero by 2050, the UK is increasingly looking to the role hydrogen will play in the future energy mix.
To do so, a major infrastructural overhaul will be required, and the safety of introducing a new gas to the UK’s energy systems must be stringently examined.
As it stands, hydrogen is defined as a gas under the Gas Act of 1986, and therefore regulated as such by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, operating through Ofgem.
The safety of hydrogen specifically however, is being continuously assessed in pilots and projects throughout the country, and used to inform the government on regulation going forward.
Hydrogen safety is one of HSE’s key concerns
As an odourless, highly flammable gas with a propensity to embrittle metal, there are important safety considerations to address before hydrogen can be rolled out throughout the UK, especially where it may one day enter people’s homes.
The government, therefore, is looking to organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure that stringent safety measures are put in place to enable the successful introduction of hydrogen to answer the UK’s energy needs.
According to the guidance published earlier this year around hydrogen heating, the government stated: “Safety is fundamental. As with natural gas, measures will be needed to ensure that hydrogen is stored, distributed, and used in a safe way.
“We are working with industry and the Health and Safety Executive to identify any changes and safety measures which may be required and assess their costs and feasibility.”
HSE are active contributors to the major global associations and committees on hydrogen safety, having safely enabled hydrogen powered applications for nearly 20 years and published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers around the safety of gaseous and liquid hydrogen.
As such, HSE’s work continues to underpin regulations, codes, and standards, that facilitate the safe deployment of hydrogen technologies throughout the UK.
The UK’s gas networks have committed to hydrogen safety
In 2021, the UK’s gas networks committed to ensuring safety around the introduction of hydrogen to the network through the Gas Goes Green hydrogen safety commitment.
All five signed the document – ‘Our Expertise, Your Security’ – which details how various innovation projects will ensure the safe delivery of hydrogen into Britain’s homes.
“Whatever exciting future [hydrogen] may hold, our number one priority remains the safety of our homes, our businesses and our communities.” – energy networks association
Four key principles are outlined in the document:
- Always maintain a safety-first approach
Our gas networks will adhere to the same high standards of safety as today, wherever they are, and whatever gas they are carrying.
- Create new opportunities
We will use new technology to make Britain’s gas networks even safer than they are today, as we transition towards hydrogen.
- Act transparently
We will share the outcomes of safety- related gas network innovation projects in a transparent way, and support the wider development of best practice for the safe use of hydrogen.
- Support consumer choice
We will safety test the widest possible range of hydrogen-ready technologies, so people can choose the appliances best suited to their needs.
(Source: Our Expertise, Your Security, energy networks association)
The gas networks’ close relationship with HSE enables learning to be acquired from trials throughout the country. After acquiring the necessary approvals from HSE, the evidence then gained on hydrogen’s performance in accordance with the safety principles and standards that natural gas abides today is then passed on to HSE to help inform future frameworks.
Public opinion around safety must be addressed
According to HSE: “Hydrogen is one of the low carbon energy solutions that will be critical for the UK’s transition to net zero. But to be accepted by society, hydrogen needs to be safe.”
Critical as it might be, there remains a crucial challenge in educating the public around hydrogen, and dispelling any preconceived opinions and concerns.
According to research conducted in 2022 by the UK Energy Research Centre, the main concerns that arose around hydrogen safety within qualitative discussions were linked to the explosive nature of the gas where its use and transportation is concerned, as well as its association with the H bomb.
A wider education piece around the benefits of hydrogen and safety measures in place will be essential to bring the public on side and grow support for hydrogen’s future applications.
Bringing the public on side will be essential if hydrogen is to be introduced into the home, as is being explored in Wales through the Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes scheme.
Recognising potential concerns, the scheme’s website seeks to reassure, and even cite advantages, stating: “Several recent projects have successfully demonstrated that with some small changes to homes, using hydrogen for heating, hot water and cooking, is as safe, if not safer, than using natural gas.”
“Unlike natural gas, hydrogen doesn’t include carbon, which eliminates the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty natural gas appliances.”
The Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes scheme also points out that a 50% blend of hydrogen and methane – or Town Gas – was introduced in the 19th century and used across the UK until the late 1960s, when natural gas took over.
Now, another major energy overhaul is on the cards, and the wheels are being put into motion to ensure its safe delivery throughout the UK.
While an official government safety framework has yet to be established, the work of HSE, the gas networks, and the vital learnings of trials throughout the nation, is proving essential in the future uptake of hydrogen.
