THE construction of the world’s first domestic green hydrogen gas network has been completed in Fife.
Energy firm SGN announced on Monday the key milestone in its H100 Fife project, which will see hydrogen gas created using renewable electricity from a local offshore wind turbine, flow through the new 8.4km network when it goes live next year.
Residents in Levenmouth, where the network has been built, will then have the option of joining Scotland’s first green hydrogen community by signing up for the trial.
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SGN said the hydrogen network will enable people living in the area to heat their homes and cook food free of carbon emissions.
H100 Fife distribution manager, Max Biret (below), said he is grateful to the Levenmouth community for their trust and patience as they aim to transition them to the new green network.
“I'm thrilled to announce the completion of our green gas network. The exceptional teamwork and dedication from our SGN team and our contractors SMART Utilities made this possible,” he said.
“We’re grateful to the Levenmouth community for your trust, patience, and cooperation. Your support has been invaluable in helping us deliver a high-quality project on schedule.
“Having this new network in place means we can start converting customers to green hydrogen once our production and storage site is ready next year.
“We’re still welcoming more customers to join if you live in the network area. We’ll support you every step of the way through your energy transition.”
SGN said hydrogen provides a similar user experience to natural gas and that those who sign up for the trial will still have boilers and radiators and are able to heat their homes the same way as they do now.
It added the key difference is that hydrogen doesn’t produce any carbon when it burns.
The energy firm hopes the project will provide critical evidence to inform future low-carbon policy decisions for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
SMART Utilities construction manager Stuart Russell and his team installed the new network and will be connecting homes to it when it goes live.
He said: “I was born and bred in Fife and feel very proud to be delivering this world's first green energy project for the local community.
“I'm delighted to see that so many local people have taken the opportunity to be part of this first of its kind decarbonisation scheme.”
SGN said it is upskilling gas engineers to enable them to connect the homes taking part in the trial to the new hydrogen gas mains.
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It added that it is also partnering with Fife College to open the UK’s first hydrogen training facility next year.
Existing Gas Safe engineers will be trained at the facility on how to fit new hydrogen appliances.
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