UK Government broadly supports blending hydrogen in gas supply
Replacing some of the fuel in natural gas supplies with hydrogen has been promoted as a way of bringing down carbon emissions.
Most boilers in homes and businesses can cope with up to 20% of supply consisting of 'blended' hydrogen as well as natural gas.
Operators of the gas grid have said existing infrastructure could be used to transport a blended mix of hydrogen and natural gas to consumers.
A number of projects around Scotland aim to use the country's renewable electricity supplies to produce 'green hydrogen' at scale.
However there are questions over whether supply of 100% pure hydrogen – which does not produce carbon dioxide when burned – would be suitable for the domestic market.
UK energy minister Michael Shanks addressed MSPs on Wednesday (PA)
Mr Shanks was asked about the UK Government's plans for hydrogen blending when he faced the Scottish Parliament's Economy Committee on Wednesday.
He said: 'We are actively looking at blending and there are some decision points coming up on that. I think there's a balance to be struck – there's been a detailed bit of evidence-gathering about the degree you can blend without having an impact on the end users.
'We're broadly in favour of some kind of blending, we're just looking at how that decision point would be made.
'I can write to the committee on timescales but that is something we're actively considering.'
A large green hydrogen project in Kintore, Aberdeenshire, was granted planning approval by the local council last month, while there are also hopes the Grangemouth industrial site could be used for hydrogen production.
While hydrogen has advantages over natural gas as a clean fuel source, it has significantly less energy density by volume – meaning more hydrogen must be supplied to produce the same amount of heating.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
SNP loses its shine with Fergus Ewing exit
The Ewings, all three of them – Winnie, her daughter Annabelle and, last but not least, her son Fergus – have always added lustre to the SNP and the cause of independence. The late Winnie, Madam Ecosse, all but invented it, at least in the modern era, by winning the Hamilton by-election in 1967 and then becoming the first presiding officer of the reformed Scottish Parliament in 1999. Her daughter has been a minister in several departments, and became a deputy presiding officer of the Holyrood Parliament, and Fergus became – well, just Fergus. He was always his own man, the epitome of the bloke who goes his own way, no matter what. He has now announced that he's had it with the nit-picking, daft policy-loving comrades who even tried to have him chucked out of the party he's spent all of his adult life supporting. And he's going his own way. I'll admit I've never agreed with his continued support for independence, a policy that would have beggared his country. But he was a man of principle who accepted that politicians of different stripes had principles, too. And while they could be challenged, they should not be insulted. Above all, he saw his first duty was to his Highland constituents. He put their need for decent, safe roads at the top of his agenda – especially the dualling of the A9, widely known as Britain's 'killer road' because of crashes. And he didn't want to see fishing communities devastated by supposed green policies aimed at protecting the environment, no matter the human cost. If there was one issue that alienated Fergus Ewing more than most from the SNP, it was Nicola Sturgeon's ill-fated coalition with the ultra-left Scottish Greens. He fought their policies tooth and nail, and rightly declared that most of them were opposed by a majority of the electorate. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Sturgeon/Scottish Greens plan to rewrite society's views on gender. It was a battle in which Ewing was ultimately on the winning side. I'm certain that he has not taken this decision to stand as an independent in next May's Scottish Parliament election lightly. After all, he will almost certainly be standing against an SNP candidate and even at this distance, the arithmetic looks like being very tight. His long-time party will throw everything at him to keep 'his' Inverness and Nairn seat, which they've always held. I'll probably be wrong – I usually am with predictions – but my tenner is on Fergus Ewing holding on against the odds.
Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Britain's national decline has just reached a new low
It's probably for the best that the Cypriot government has shown no interest in getting its hands on Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the United Kingdom's two 'sovereign base areas' from which the RAF flies for operations in the Middle East. For judging by the conduct of this Government, it is currently open season on our overseas possessions. Fresh from bending over backwards to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius – with a dowry – the Government is now preparing to hand Spain a 'special role' in Gibraltar. This will reportedly include 'new powers over the issuance of residency permits, visas and asylum', according to the Independent, as part of 'an accord to settle the post-Brexit border arrangements for the British overseas territory.' How far we have fallen. When General Franco closed the border with Gibraltar in 1969 as part of his effort to besiege the Rock into submission, both it and we stood firm. The blockade was eventually lifted in 1982, after Spain's return to democracy. Today, faced with a far less menacing prospect, we have simply folded. This is not merely a collection of objectionable new procedures, either. If this deal is passed, Madrid will now control who is and is not allowed to settle in Gibraltar, whilst Spaniards – because it is part of the Schengen area – have freedom of movement. It isn't difficult to imagine how this could erode the Rock's British character over time, especially if a future Spanish government was playing an active role in the process. Because we should not forget that Spain absolutely wants its hands on the territory and is not shy about flexing its muscles; Spanish ships not infrequently violate Gibraltar's sovereign waters. As over Northern Ireland, we have once again allowed the EU to insist that the interests of its common market trump the political and territorial integrity of the British state and its dependencies. It is very difficult to imagine many European countries doing the same. Consider Madrid's steely refusal to compromise on its own Gibraltars, the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan coast; or France, which proudly staged parts of the French Olympics in that most lovely part of their country – Tahiti. Indeed, watching Britain get bullied from pillar to post over our overseas territories it is sometimes difficult to remember that Paris has quietly got away with holding on to French Guiana; France's longest land border is with Brazil. Gibraltar's British status would be vastly more secure had we taken the French approach. But when the Integration With Britain Party won the 1969 Gibraltarian elections – held in the shadow of Franco's belligerence – Westminster said no. Perhaps what we're seeing today, then, is simply the final triumph of the Foreign Office mindset which refused Gibraltar then, and Malta in the 1950s; a mindset which views overseas possessions not as assets but as expensive and vaguely embarrassing entanglements. What a pity we can't muster the same national self-belief as the French. Or, indeed, the Spanish.
South Wales Guardian
25 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Minister insists no major welfare rebellion on the horizon after whip quits
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Vicky Foxcroft was the only frontbencher who had spoken to her about resigning. MPs must 'look to their conscience' when deciding how to vote, Ms Nandy said, but added the Government believes the Commons will back the reforms. Lewisham North MP Ms Foxcroft said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill' but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution', in her resignation letter to the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system, which are expected to save up to £5 billion a year. Ms Nandy said a 'handful' of backbench MPs had expressed concerns to her about the 'detail' of the Bill, but added she was confident the Government had listened and the package of reforms was 'absolutely right'. 'It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren't concerns and there aren't dissenting voices, of course there are. But Vicky is the only frontbencher that I've had a conversation with about resigning,' she told BBC Breakfast. She told Times Radio that Ms Foxcroft 'did the honourable thing' by standing down. 'If you can't stick with collective responsibility in Government, you have to resign. 'She's done the honourable thing. It will enable her to have a voice, and she – as the former shadow disabilities minister – is very keen to use it. 'But I think most Labour MPs, including her, agree with the principle of the reforms that we're making.' She added: 'It's now up to every MP, as it always is at moments of major reform, to look to their conscience and vote the way that they believe is right. 'And we believe this package of reforms are right and will carry the confidence of the House.' Ms Foxcroft is the second Labour frontbencher to go in protest over policy issues after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Rebel Labour MPs welcomed Ms Foxcroft's decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand' and Crewe and Nantwich's Connor Naismith saying it 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. She said she had wrestled with whether to resign or remain in the Government and 'fight from within'. 'Sadly it… now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Legislation introduced into Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, the personal independence payment (Pip). Ministers also want to cut the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), and delay access to it so only those aged 22 and over can claim it. The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Pip is aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition. Data published on Tuesday showed 3.7 million people in England and Wales claimed Pip, up from 2.05 million in 2019, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion of claimants. Around 800,000 people are set to lose out on the benefit under the Government's proposals, according to an impact assessment published alongside Wednesday's legislation. The assessment also confirmed a previous estimate that 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30, although the Government repeated this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work. Ms Foxcroft received hugs and other gestures of support from her Labour backbench colleagues as she appeared in the Commons on Friday as MPs took part in votes on the assisted dying Bill. Several colleagues approached her, offering warm words, hugs, an arm on the shoulder or a pat on the back. Responding to her resignation, a Government spokesperson said: 'This Labour Government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. 'Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected.'
