SGN & Wood drive hydrogen network developments forward, using Optioneer™
The team at Wood and SGN deployed Optioneer to evaluate suitability for development and assess the technical feasibility of the proposed hydrogen network, and identify risks that could impact the project’s consenting phase.
of hydrogen pipeline routes developed
to route entire network
customer locations considered
Introduction
H2 Connect and H2 Caledonia are SGN-led projects that will connect to the British national transmission system operated by National Gas Transmission.
H2 Caledonia will connect the Scottish customers south of Aberdeen to a hydrogen supply. It will integrate with the Aberdeen Vision project and Northern Gas' Hydrogen Network in England. With these programmes, SGN is exploring the development of blue and green hydrogen production across Scotland and the creation of a hydrogen ecosystem.
H2 Connect will concentrate on developing an optimised design to connect a hydrogen network in central southern England. This initiative focuses on future expansion plans for hydrogen production, storage and imports in the Solent region.
Leading engineering firm Wood was contracted to support SGN to undertake a pre-FEED study. The team at Wood and SGN deployed Optioneer to evaluate suitability for development and assess the technical feasibility of the proposed hydrogen network, and identify risks that could impact the project’s consenting phase.
The challenges of assessing the feasibility of hydrogen networks, before using Optioneer
Planning hydrogen networks is a highly intricate exercise due to the expansive geographical scope of these projects and the inherent constraints that govern these areas. The challenges of this exercise encompass environmental, safety, urban and technical aspects, each of which requires careful consideration and planning to ensure the successful execution of the project while minimising negative impacts on the environment, existing infrastructure and the communities affected by the development.
This demands a comprehensive approach that addresses the interplay between these elements and highlights potential alternatives.
The project area is vast and the development includes a wide range of environmental, technical, topographical and safety challenges.
The SGN and Wood’s teams were seeking a solution that could facilitate the strategic assessment of a development of this scale, all the while optimising their available time and resources.
The tool's features are intuitive but the real value lies in the autonomy it offers us. We can review everything in one place, independently or with a team, and in greater detail. Having been part of routing exercises for multiple developments, we cannot envisage how we would have undertaken this project without Optioneer. It's incredible we have been able to accomplish what we have so far with the time and manpower we have had available.
Optioneer was deployed to enable SGN to determine the feasibility of the design for both H2 Caledonia and H2 Connect in a series of pre-FEED studies (early-stage project development).
Optioneer was populated with key assumptions and engineering logic for network design and routing of hydrogen pipelines. Each design rule within the models was linked to individual GIS datasets imported into Optioneer. Where relevant, input parameters agreed with Wood & SGN were configured in Optioneer to inform the overall scores and key metrics for each pipeline route.
Review workshops were subsequently held with Wood & SGN to discuss the preliminary corridors produced for the areas.
In addition to generating tailored routing options, Optioneer enabled project teams to compare and evaluate options, iterate when new data arose and keep a record of key decisions made while streamlining the project process and facilitating more dynamic engagement with stakeholders.
The result
Within 3 months, 1,100+ km of hydrogen pipeline routes were developed and analysed. 101 customer locations were considered and 8 trunk line options were identified. The cumulative impact of these options was assessed and the routes were optimised to mitigate or eliminate the impact on National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This work provides a baseline to understand the feasibility of the development and the scale of the technical and environmental challenges.
of hydrogen pipeline routes developed
to route entire network
customer locations considered
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