US Senate mulls options for hydrogen blending in gas grids

The US senate hearing took place on July 19, where lawmakers questioned energy industry representatives on how feasible it would be to blend hydrogen with natural gas in existing gas networks, and whether the government should establish a regulatory framework to enable this.

An executive at Oklahoma-based Williams Companies noted that the group's interstate pipelines were ready to safely handle a mixture of gas and up to 20% hydrogen. The existing natural gas system provides extensive infrastructure to transport hydrogen, which today is only a nascent sector,  Williams senior vice president Chad Zamarin said.

"We have an opportunity to scale up a hydrogen economy with the technology that already exists today in our infrastructure," he said.

Developing hydrogen can not only help the US reduce its emissions but would also be a boon to its economy, Democrat senator Joe Manchin, the chairman of the senate's energy and natural resources committee, said. 

"We have a lot of work to do to make our hydrogen goals a reality," he said.

Several US pipeline operators are already trialling the blending of hydrogen in their systems in pilot projects, noted Frank Wolak, president of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association.

"We're happy these conversations are starting. Let's set up some rules now so when people want to start injecting hydrogen into their pipelines we're ready to go," he said.