UK's Penspen to assess readiness of TAP pipeline's ground infrastructure for hydrogen and natural gas blending
BAKU. Jan 9 (Interfax) - Penspen, a leading international energy consultancy, has secured a contract from the Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG consortium (the operator of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, TAP) to provide services for evaluating the feasibility of transporting hydrogen blends through the TAP pipeline.
"Under this new contract, Penspen's UK-based engineering team will perform a comprehensive desktop and field assessment review of TAP's above ground installations (AGIs), block valves (BVs) and compressor stations (CSs) to assess the feasibility of introducing hydrogen blends to the existing gas pipeline, supporting TAP's strategy of capacity expansion for new volumes of hydrogen and other renewable gases to foster long-term sustainability and decarbonisation in the region," Penspen said in a statement.
Leveraging its expertise, Penspen is developing future infrastructure, including the repurposing of existing systems for the transportation and processing of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, the company said.
"By assessing the suitability of existing infrastructure, like the TAP pipeline, for hydrogen blends, we continue to support the delivery of cleaner energy to the communities we work in," Penspen Energy Transition Director Darren Bartlett was quoted as saying.
"Hydrogen enablement of strategic transportation infrastructure is a key factor for long-term regional decarbonisation. Supporting the introduction of hydrogen into a major pipeline will promote hydrogen generation projects in Southeastern Europe, as well as a multitude of hydrogen use opportunities," Penspen's TAP Project Manager Angus Reid said.
"TAP has the potential to become a significant contributor to Europe's goal of achieving climate neutrality by potentially supplying the EU with carbon-neutral energy sources, such as hydrogen blended with natural gas. Evaluating whether our above-ground installations are hydrogen-ready for hydrogen blending with natural gas, with the support of an experienced supplier like Penspen, is an important step in this broader process," TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati said.
Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG is the owner and operator of a key infrastructure asset for meeting European energy demand, namely the final 880-kilometer leg of the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system that transports natural gas from the BP-operated Shah Deniz gas field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe.