Columbia Gas testing hydrogen-blended natural gas in Center Twp. - The Times

Columbia Gas testing hydrogen-blended natural gas in Center Twp.
Chrissy Suttles

CENTER TWP. — One of the country’s first controlled-setting hydrogen blending projects is advancing in Beaver County.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and parent company NiSource are testing the viability of hydrogen-natural gas blends at various levels to study potential consumer benefits and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The initiative, located at Columbia Gas’ training center in Center Township, includes a hydrogen blending skid allowing for precise monitoring. Here, the company can assess each blend’s impact on emissions, equipment, piping and natural gas itself.

To evaluate how blending hydrogen into the company’s existing natural gas system may help decarbonize pipelines, NiSource built a small model home equipped with gas appliances like a stove, furnace, washer and dryer.

Erich Evans, director of corporate strategy and risk integration for NiSource, said a 20% hydrogen blend appears to be the highest percentage most home appliances can manage without a notable decline in function.

“Some appliances can handle as much as 30%, but since we don't know what a customer is going to have, we’re sticking with 20%,” Evans said.

At 20%, Evans said, studies show no performance reductions for end users – water boils at about the same rate and clothes dry in the same amount of time. The only noticeable differences, so far, are slightly lighter stove flame colors and quieter furnaces, he said.

Based on the results and data collected, future phases of the program could include the introduction of a hydrogen blend into a live-gas environment using the company’s existing gas distribution infrastructure.

The move could enable the company “to even further reduce greenhouse gases associated with heating your homes, cooking your food and heating your water,” said Mark Kempic, president and COO of Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, at an Oct. 5 launch event. “We believe in both safe, existing natural gas service as well as making sure our natural gas service will be around for generations and generations to come.”

As companies nationwide consider hydrogen blending a possible cost-effective decarbonization solution, some climate activists argue the approach is a distraction that will further delay electrification. Others believe clearer regulatory framework for hydrogen production is needed to ensure tangible environmental benefits.

Today, 95% of the hydrogen produced in the United States is made via natural gas reforming, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

NiSource is currently experimenting with “grey hydrogen” derived from natural gas without the use of carbon capture and storage technology. The company “hopes to transition” to other forms of hydrogen, such as “blue hydrogen” derived from natural gas but aided by carbon capture, or “green hydrogen” made via renewable energy, once those forms are sufficiently available, Evans said.

The blending program is just one piece of NiSource’s overall “Future of Energy” strategy that involves “a dynamic range of clean energy solutions ranging from solar, wind, electricity and renewable natural gas to secure a sustainable energy future for all,” company leadership said, emphasizing NiSource’s support for a western Pennsylvania hydrogen hub.

“Our overall goal remains to lower emissions and ensure the availability of an array of environmentally sustainable energy sources while balancing affordability, reliability and other economic considerations for our customers,” said Lloyd Yates, NiSource president and CEO.

The company will continue to evaluate the viability of hydrogen blends for other applications like factories and power plants, said Yates.