Gas infrastructure company Wales & West Utilities is undertaking research into the potential use at scale of hydrogen in the aviation sector. The sector currently contributes to 2.5% of global CO2 emissions and 7% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The study by the Newport headquartered firm will explore the barriers and challenges of using hydrogen to decarbonise the sector, not only as a direct fuel source for future aircraft, but also to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the aerospace supply chain.
The six-month research will also explore how Wales & West Utilities’ own infrastructure may be able to help decarbonisation by introducing 100% hydrogen and hydrogen blends into the future energy system.
The final report will also help develop both short and long-term strategies for the potential hydrogen requirements of both Cardiff and Bristol airports, as well as the wider aerospace sector.
The study builds the firm’s work with both Hydrogen South West (HSW) and South Wales industrial Cluster (SWIC).
Matt Hindle, head of net zero and sustainability at Wales & West Utilities, said; "“Many organisations within our network area have a rich engineering and energy history, which make it ideal to explore decarbonising the aviation sector.
“This initial project will review hydrogen developments in the UK aviation industry to understand the current ambitions, any barriers to deployment, and the geographical implications of using the existing gas network infrastructure to supply hydrogen to points of demand, notably airports, and locations for SAF production.
“It will focus on Bristol and Cardiff as case studies and aims to give us a deeper understanding of what infrastructure we might need and how we can repurpose assets for hydrogen around them. It will also provide recommendations for further steps to build the evidence base and link into ongoing projects.”
Wales & West Utilities’ infrastructure serves of 7.5 million people across Wales and south west England.
The company is investing £400m between 2021 and 2026 to deliver a net zero ready gas network by 2035, while looking after the most vulnerable in communities across Wales and south west England.
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