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Firstgas Group, which is a major gas provider to homes and businesses, announced its timeline to decarbonise its gas pipelines on Monday. In line with New Zealand’s Climate Change Response Programme (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act of 2019, which spells out NZ’s goal to reach a zero-carbon emissions by 2050 and reduce methane emissions in the range of 24 to 47%. Firstgas will move from natural gas to hydrogen completely by 2050. By this, Kiwis can look forward to a zero-carbon future.
Initially, from 2030 onwards, the Company plans to blend hydrogen into its natural gas grid and eventually by 2050, it aims to convert to totally hydrogen-based network. It is being felt that hydrogen is the best alternative to natural gas as it can be obtained from various sources.
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Currently, Kiwis use both LPG and methane to heat their homes and offices. While announcing this major initiative, the Group also confirmed that its networks could produce sufficient hydrogen to decarbonise the entire natural gas network by 2050.
The details of the timeline revealed that initially consumers would not require to change the existing appliances. The blend of hydrogen with natural gas that the Company plans to prepare in initial stages will be carried out region-wise. In this plan, consumers will not be required to do anything for the next 15 to 20 years.
Once the conversion of networks to 100% hydrogen-based gas pipes begins, there will be a need to convert to appropriate technology that supports pure hydrogen-based systems.
Hydrogen Project Leader Angela Ogier, after making the announcement, said that the plan would make sure that the benefits of the gas remained as they were but only carbon free. She said people could keep using barbeques, hot water baths for as long as they wanted and use the gas hobs, but without carbon emissions.
Ogier said that currently, hydrogen was being made by using fossil fuels, but in the future, it would be made by using electricity and water through a process called electrolysis.
Hydrogen delivers the same benefits as LPG but without carbon emissions. Therefore, by 2050, NZ will have a zero-carbon emission electricity grid.
