This article is part of our ongoing review of hydrogen projects announced in 2025 that are influencing the market and policy landscape in 2026.
Announced 3 September 2025: Hydrogen Scotland member SGN successfully completed a pioneering hydrogen pipeline project in Scotland, demonstrating that the UK’s gas network can be repurposed to transport hydrogen. In a UK first, a representative 30km stretch of the Local Transmission System (LTS) pipeline running between Granton in Edinburgh and Grangemouth was safely repurposed to carry hydrogen. During the trial, SGN added two new connections to the pipeline via live hot works—a world first, as live welding and hot tapping had never been performed on an in-service hydrogen pipeline.
The LTS Futures live trial proved that the same pipeline infrastructure which delivers energy to millions of households and businesses today can also play a bigger role in cutting carbon emissions in the future, marking a major milestone in the journey to net zero.
SGN’s LTS Futures project focused on the UK’s high-pressure Local Transmission System (LTS) – an 11,600km pipeline network that brings gas from the national system to homes, businesses and industries in local communities. The £29.9 million LTS Futures project tested and demonstrated the LTS’s compatibility for transporting hydrogen. SGN demonstrated this by repurposing a representative 30km pipeline, which runs from Grangemouth to Granton. LTS Futures aimed to answer a key question: Can the same techniques that are used to maintain and operate natural gas networks today be used on live hydrogen pipelines in the future?
SGN’s specialist team successfully completed these important engineering tasks, proving they can be performed on high-pressure hydrogen pipelines. These operational tasks included two key activities for safely operating and maintaining gas pipelines:
- Hot works- welding and drilling into the live pipeline to create a new connection.
- Flow stopping- isolating the flow of hydrogen in the pipe.
This was the first time either of these techniques was undertaken in a live trial on a hydrogen pipeline in Great Britain. Tony Green, SGN Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer, said: “This landmark project is a major milestone for SGN and the wider energy sector, showing that the UK’s gas infrastructure can be repurposed for a net zero future. It demonstrates both infrastructure and workforce readiness for hydrogen, with our skilled engineers gaining vital experience through the live trial. Collaboration has been crucial, and working closely with INEOS and other partners has turned a complex concept into a success.”
Colin Pritchard, INEOS Grangemouth Sustainability Director, added: “This project is an important step towards reducing carbon emissions from homes and industry and we were pleased to be able to play our part in its success. INEOS-sourced hydrogen from our existing processing plant was delivered to SGN to enable the project to take place. We recognise that hydrogen has the potential to revolutionise the way we generate and use energy, underpinning the vital manufacturing sector, as we move towards a low carbon future.”
Tony Green added: “The gas network remains vital, meeting 40% of primary energy demand and powering key industries. We are already on the journey towards decarbonised gas by increasing the amount of green gas, such as biomethane, in the network. Hydrogen presents a further opportunity to deliver low-carbon energy solutions, and this project is an important step in demonstrating that the LTS network can support hydrogen playing a key role in the UK’s future energy mix.”
LTS Futures will create a blueprint for repurposing the entire LTS to hydrogen. This could help create regional hydrogen hubs, support industrial clusters, and potentially provide a pathway for a wider transition to low-carbon hydrogen. As a critical part of the UK’s gas infrastructure, the successful conversion of the LTS to hydrogen would mean a low-disruption, resilient backbone for the net-zero energy system.
Learn more at SGN news: https://www.sgn.co.uk/news/pioneering-sgn-trial-confirms-uk-gas-networks-potential-low-carbon-future
The LTS Futures Youtube video: https://youtu.be/pw_eQ3ah_dE
The LTS Futures project: https://www.sgn.co.uk/about-us/future-of-gas/lts-futures-0
