Hydrogen ‘must be the answer’ to decarbonising heavy industry, says MP

future of energy

  • James Heappey MP joins growing political support for HyNet North West
  • Large turnout for Houses of Parliament event to showcase this hydrogen project
  • They hear HyNet North West will create 5,000 jobs and achieve big carbon reductions

An MP and co-chair of a key energy forum says hydrogen ‘must be the answer’ to decarbonising heavy industry in the UK.
 
Proving hydrogen can be delivered at scale and across a wide area is critical, James Heappey said, adding his support to Cadent’s HyNet North West project which will do just that.
 
The MP for Wells, who is co-chair for Carbon Connect on its ‘Future of Gas’ series, was speaking this week at an event in the Houses of Parliament. The reception was organised by Cadent to showcase HyNet North West, amid growing political and industry support.
 
HyNet will produce and distribute hydrogen in North West England. Operating by mid 2020s, it will create 5,000 jobs, power heavy industry in the region and help heat two million homes.
 
It involves the creation of the UK’s first CCUS capability and will reduce carbon emissions by more than one million tonnes every year (the equivalent of taking 600,000 cars off the road).
 
The North West’s two metro mayors – Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham – are supporting the project and around 80 guests attended the reception at Westminster this week to learn more.
 
Mr Heappey said: “Proving that we can deliver hydrogen across a wide area at a price that’s affordable to industry, to motorists and to the consumer is something that no-one’s yet certain about. So HyNet, taking the plunge, creating lots of jobs, demonstrating it at scale, and presumably reaping quite a big commercial reward on the back of it, is a really good thing and I’m pleased to support the project.
 
“It’s clear that electrification is not the route to decarbonising heavy industry. For many heavy industries, that’s just not practical. So bringing in a new gas, hydrogen, which can give them all the energy effect they need, must be the answer. That’s why I think it’s so important that we’re doing the HyNet project in the North West, an area where lots of industry is concentrated, so that we can really prove that this is the zero or low carbon solution for them, and then we can see it copied elsewhere around the country.”
 
Chris Train, Cadent Chief Executive, said: “HyNet’s a fantastic project for us to be involved in because it really goes some way to helping policy makers develop a route and a pathway for the decarbonisation of heat and transport.”
 
For latest information on HyNet, see www.hynet.co.uk

Cadent

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy.  We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change.  Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency.   Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing. 

Future of Gas: Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.

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