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Source Galileo visits first green hydrogen gas network injection project in Portugal
Lisbon, 20 April 2023: Source Galileo this week visited the first project to blend green hydrogen into the Portuguese natural gas network, hosted by Floene, Portugal’s largest gas distribution network owner and organised as part of the Green Hydrogen Summit 2023.
Blending of green hydrogen into transmission and distribution gas networks is viewed as a steppingstone towards the development of a hydrogen economy and achievement of net zero emissions.
This project is the first hydrogen injection project connected to the Portuguese gas network and one of a number of demonstration projects in European countries for hydrogen injection into gas networks, such as the UK’s HyDeploy project.
The project is located in Seixal, 23km south of Lisbon, and supplies energy to around 80 residential, commercial and industrial customers across a circa 1.4km gas network. The green hydrogen is produced from electrolysis powered by a local solar project in the Seixal Industrial Park through a partnership with the local company Gestene.
The tour included visits to the services complex of Seixal’s City Hall, the electrolyzer site and hydrogen storage facility, and the mixing, injection and monitoring station where green hydrogen is mixed with natural gas and injected into the gas grid. The project locations are connected via a newly constructed dedicated 100% hydrogen pipeline.
The project is operating successfully with 10% hydrogen injection ratio, and this injection ratio will be increased up to 20% over a two-year demonstration period. This aligns with the Portuguese National Hydrogen Strategy of 10% to 15% injection of green hydrogen into Portuguese natural gas networks by 2030.
Other countries such as the UK are working on blending of hydrogen into the gas network, with the UK Government working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and industry to assess the potential for up to 20% hydrogen blending in UK gas networks. A decision on hydrogen blending by the UK Government is targeted by the end of 2023 as part of the UK’s Hydrogen Strategy, supported by projects such HyDeploy.
Source Galileo’s Stirling Habbitts and Rui Abegoa attended the site visit on invitation from the Green Hydrogen Summit 2023, where Stirling moderated a panel discussion on the European Hydrogen Bank and bankability of hydrogen projects with the European Commission and European Investment Bank (EIB).
The Floene project demonstrates that green hydrogen blending into gas networks is readily achievable and it proves the potential of blending as a vector for transporting clean sustainable energy from renewable energy projects to end users.
Source Galileo would like to thank Floene, Gestene and the organisers of the Green Hydrogen Summit 2023 for the opportunity to visit this inspiring project.
Contact Details
Garrett Morrison
Chief Development Officer, Source Galileo
+44 (0) 7920 751516
