Italian gas operator to supply hydrogen blends to 220 gas end-users

Italian gas distribution firm Italgas is set to supply hydrogen-blended gas to 220 end-users in Torre de’ Passeri, Italy, using 5km of existing natural gas pipelines.

The network operator will begin with a 10% hydrogen blend to supply domestic and civil uses like cooking and heating before ramping up to 20% blend.

End-users will face no additional costs, with Italgas covering any necessary modifications to internal systems and appliances.

Italgas will oversee supervision, monitoring and technical analysis of the project, and while no precise hydrogen source was identified, natural gas transmission operator Societa Gasdotti Italia will supply the gas blend.

A timeline for the project has not been confirmed, and the source of the hydrogen remains unclear.

It adds to the Italgas’ , Sardinia, where its 500kW solar-powered hydrogen plant pipes gas into a local gas grid supplying households and small businesses.

Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, CEO of Italgas, said the project would show that targeted hydrogen blending can help deliver cleaner energy supplies without new infrastructure.

However, hydrogen blending remains highly divisive, with critics arguing that it undermines the value of hydrogen, with even 20% blends only achieving emissions reductions of approximately 7%.

Early adopting gas network operators, however, see it as a way to sustain existing gas infrastructure.

Recent proposed blending trials in areas like the UK have also faced public pushback with concerns around the safety of using hydrogen in domestic settings. Industry players have insisted the gas can be handled safely.