Hydrogen UK and the REA have published a report on the benefits of hydrogen blending for the UK. 

The key potential benefits of hydrogen blending are identified as follows:

  • Stimulate Demand – Hydrogen blending breaks the historical ‘chicken and egg’ between hydrogen supply and demand, by enabling the existing energy system to unlock hydrogen demand and support production.
  • Promote Investment – Blending makes projects more investible as hydrogen producers are looking for ways to de-risk off-taker demand.
  • Meet Carbon Budgets – Material environmental benefits are possible without significant hassle or disruption to contribute to achieving the 5th and 6th carbon budgets.
  • Optimise Production – The gas network is able to store large quantities of energy and can act as a flexible offtaker to balance hydrogen production with demand, enabling production to be ran at optimum load factors.
  • Provide Power Demand Flexibility – Blending can reduce excess renewable electricity being curtailed and could provide one of the lowest cost use cases of hydrogen.
  • Build Social Acceptance – Hydrogen blending can act as a strategic test case of social acceptance and market frameworks, enabling evidence to be gathered to better inform the 2026 strategic decision on hydrogen heating.
  • Maintain Safety – All the evidence collated across trials demonstrates the safety of hydrogen blending.