London-listed Centrica announced that Centrica Business Solutions will inject hydrogen into a gas-fired, grid-connected power station in Lincolnshire in the east of England in a trial due to last 12 months. 

Centrica said the 49-megawatt facility had been designed to meet demand during peak times or when demand from renewables is low, typically operating for less than three hours a day. 

Hydrogen will be injected into a gas-fired, grid-connected power station during a trial project set to last 12 months, in the latest example of how major companies are looking to integrate the energy carrier into their operations and existing infrastructure.

In a statement earlier this week, London-listed Centrica said the hydrogen would be injected by Centrica Business Solutions into a gas-peaking plant in Lincolnshire, east England.

Centrica said the 49-megawatt facility had been “designed to meet demand during peak times or when generation from renewables is low, typically operating for less than three hours a day.

“Mixing hydrogen in with natural gas reduces the overall carbon intensity,” it added.

A portion of the funding for the project is from the Net Zero Technology Centre established in 2017 with backing of the UK and Scottish governments. 

UK company HiiROC which specialises in converting hydrocarbons into hydrogen is also involved in the trial. Centrica has increased its stake in HiiROC to around 5%. 

“It’s anticipated that during the trial, getting underway in Q3 2023, no more than three per cent of the gas mix could be hydrogen, increasing to 20% incrementally after the project,” Centrica said.

“Longer term, the vision is to move towards 100% hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all gas-fired peaking plant[s].”