Northern Gas Networks outlines £1.2 billion hydrogen pipeline plans for Humber and Teesside

Northern Gas Networks has set out detailed proposals for two underground hydrogen pipelines that would connect low-carbon hydrogen production with heavy industry and power generation across two of England’s largest industrial clusters. The 39-mile Teesside pipeline would run from Newton Aycliffe to Skinningrove, while the 68-mile Humber route would stretch from Saltend to Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire, together forming part of the wider East Coast Hydrogen partnership with National Gas and Cadent.

An economic assessment commissioned by NGN estimates the combined scheme could deliver around £1.2 billion in value and support up to 1,200 jobs across the two regions. The pipelines are intended to supply steel, chemical, brick and glass manufacturers that currently rely on large volumes of natural gas for high-temperature processes which cannot easily be electrified. Both projects will be progressed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, requiring a Development Consent Order decision from the Secretary of State; if approved, construction and connection could begin in the 2030s.

Keith Owen, NGN’s head of energy futures, said some businesses in the industrial clusters use enough gas to heat the equivalent of 10,000 homes, making electrification “extremely challenging,” and that hydrogen offers “the same heat as natural gas without the emissions.” Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor Luke Campbell both welcomed the plans as a boost to regional jobs and energy security, though the proposal follows a setback for the wider Teesside hydrogen ambitions after BP withdrew from the separate H2Teesside blue hydrogen project last December.