Improving Gas Network Infrastructure Planning

Under the UK's ambitious decarbonisation trajectory, the role of the UK's gas network infrastructure is changing significantly. Between 2014 and 2020, an estimated £7.6 billion is to be invested in the UK's gas networks to modernise and adapt these systems in response to their evolving function in the UK's energy infrastructure system. At present, Gas Distribution Network Operators (GDNOs) do not yet have an integrated forecasting system to show how the complex interactions of new heating technology adoption (such as heat pumps, combined heat and power, district heating, etc.), new distributed gas sources (e.g. from biomethane, low carbon hydrogen and unconventional gas injection into the gas grid) and climate change will impact on the demand and supply levels across different areas of their networks in future. In this project, we will test the feasibility of a new type of forecasting tool that can be used by GDNOs to better understand how these complex factors will impact on gas distribution network infrastructure requirements to minimise costs, optimise the matching of supply and demand, improve energy security and reduce the carbon intensity of the gas network, with the potential to save GDNOs and UK gas consumers as much as £130 million per annum.