Future Energy Networks

Biomethane is key to decarbonising the UKs gas network. However, in comparison to Natural Gas, it has a lower energy density and requires enrichment before injection into the gas network. Currently Propane is used, a fossil fuel, undermining the environmental credentials of biomethane, increasing production cost and introducing bituminous elements causing down-time in biomethane plants. Project CLEAN GREEN will identify alternative green enrichment gases to fossil Propane, and consider how improved measurement technology can inform network intelligence to optimise Biomethane injection. This will lead to improvements in cost, carbon efficiency and injection volumes of Biomethane into the distribution networks.

In 2022 a consortium of Urenco, EDF, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and Bristol University were awarded £7.7m worth of funding from the UK Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to develop a hydrogen storage solution, HyDUS. This solution could help to alleviate storage across GB. Unlike conventional storage approaches that rely on salt caverns or depleted fields, HYDUS uses modular metal hydride technology, enabling above ground deployment in geologically constrained areas.

This project will evaluate the feasibility and value of deploying HyDUS, a modular above-ground hydrogen storage system, as a means of storage across GB. The project will use WWU’s proposed HyLine hydrogen transmission corridor in Wales and South West England as a case study.

Project GRID (Green Renewable Infrastructure Demand) will investigate how biomethane can support the decarbonisation of two strategically important sectors: heavy goods vehicle (HGV) transport and data centres. The project will assess the technical, commercial and operational feasibility of using biomethane as a low-carbon fuel for freight transport and as a primary or backup energy source for data centres.

The project will undertake a detailed review of previous work, stakeholder engagement programme and spatial analysis to understand future demand, available biomethane supply and opportunities for deployment. Detailed assessments will then be completed for Somerset Council’s fleet and for current and future data centre developments within the Wales & West Utilities (WWU) network area.

The outputs will provide evidence on how biomethane can support economic growth, facilitate decarbonisation, make greater use of indigenous renewable gas resources and potentially unlock additional biomethane injection opportunities across gas distribution networks.

The use of greener gases such as biomethane are an important part of the UK’s transition to net zero. Underground storage sites for biomethane are critical for balancing seasonal supply and demands for energy. However, increased levels of oxygen in biomethane can lead to corrosion of assets in wet gas conditions, compromising the integrity of storage facilities. This project assesses in a comparative analysis the technical and economic viability of advanced catalytic and adsorption technologies to reduce oxygen levels in biomethane with corrosion inhibitors to ensure the integrity and longevity of critical storage infrastructure.

This project is a first of its kind exploration into the applicability of quantum-inspired optimisation to improve and accelerate modelling of future gas transmission configurations and whole-systems planning. It will assess use cases where these techniques can enhance scenario coverage, integrate multiple additional energy vectors, address current computational limitations in modelling hydrogen and CO₂ networks, and improve granularity of planning outputs. By engaging National Gas and supported by NESO, the project will identify where quantum-inspired methods offer the greatest system-wide benefit, culminating in a prioritised use case and roadmap for Alpha-phase development.

A technical review study assessing the design and operational performance of a novel renewable natural gas process, including its integration with variable renewable energy sources, to inform suitability for grid injection and support future deployment and strategic decision-making within a low carbon energy system.

The UK gas networks are undergoing a major transition to support the integration of green gases, including biomethane and hydrogen. A significant challenge is the inability of the current design modelling. Cadent’s current modelling relies on outdated assumptions and lacks the granular, real-time demand insight needed for modern, decarbonising gas networks. Existing tools cannot capture intra-day demand variability, below-7-bar network complexity, or the growing impact of biomethane injections—creating risks in planning, operational decisions, and reinforcement strategy.

RTN addresses these challenges by delivering accurate, weather-adjusted, consumer-level demand modelling and integrated analysis across pressure tiers. This enhances forecasting, improves biomethane integration, and strengthens model validation and operational control. In the future state, RTN provides Cadent with a modern, data-rich, and automated modelling capability that reduces unnecessary reinforcement, improves customer outcomes, supports the energy transition, and lays the foundation for potential future use in peak-demand modelling and regulatory engagement.

This programme is leveraging the data and learning from historic projects to develop a range of novel network modelling tools that will enable bio gas designs to be informed, consumer focused and optimised for localised conditions and demands.

Based on previous work, ROSEN Engineers believe the quantity of natural gas vented during commissioning operations can safely be reduced, by up to 80%, through targeted changes to direct purging procedures.

For Gas Distribution Networks’ (GDNs), gas venting remains a necessary part of normal operations for maintenance or safety purposes. Previous research work undertaken by ROSEN(UK) Limited for the EIC, with project partners Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Wales and West Utilities (WWU), identified activities where venting of natural gas to atmosphere occurs (Gas Venting Research Project, NIA reference number NIA_NGN_282)

The work will develop a pathway for the biomethane sector to monetise CO2 and identify the role the gas networks can play, reducing the long-term cost of gas decarbonisation.

This project evaluates the rapidly developing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) sector and assesses the technical, commercial, regulatory and safety feasibility of repurposing existing gas pipelines to transport liquid aviation fuels. The uptake of SAF is critical to decarbonising the UK aviation industry and achieving net zero targets. To support the scale-up of SAF production and use, the development of reliable, affordable and low-carbon infrastructure is essential. Pipelines offer a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable and high-capacity transport solution. The study aims to enable scalable SAF infrastructure while providing a productive, long-term use for gas assets that are unlikely to be required for refurbishment or alternative repurposing.