LTS Futures

A cleaner future for your gas network

The Local Transmission System (LTS) is an 11,600km long network of pipelines which connects the National Transmission System (NTS) to towns, cities and industrial clusters. Think of the NTS like a motorway and the LTS like the A and B roads which connect to it.

If the LTS could carry hydrogen instead of natural gas, it would be a major step to decarbonising the UK’s gas network and other sectors, such as industry and transport.

Our £29.9 million LTS Futures project is testing the compatibility of the LTS to transport hydrogen. This project is so important because it can demonstrate how hydrogen can be transported at scale around the county and will inform the UK Government’s heat policy.

What we’re doing?

We’re repurposing a decommissioned 30km pipeline, which runs from Grangemouth to Granton, to hydrogen gas. Our team of engineers is working to provide evidence that the pipeline can carry 100% hydrogen instead of natural gas. Lots of preparation has already gone into this, including surveys and assessments on the pipeline and testing conducted off site.

We selected this pipeline because it is statistically representative, in terms of its age and grade of steel, of the local transmission system across Great Britain. The pipeline also includes challenges that we would encounter when repurposing the entire LTS, such as road and river crossings. Everything we learn will help our understanding of converting the whole LTS network to hydrogen.

First ever live trial

All of this work is leading to a six-month live hydrogen trial in 2025. This first of a kind demonstration will be delivered with the support of global chemical company INEOS, our hydrogen supplier.

The live trial will help us understand how we carry out the same important operational activities with hydrogen as we do today with natural gas.

Find out more about testing, the hydrogen supply pipeline we’re constructing in Grangemouth, and the live trial by clicking below!