Firstgas, along with project partners GasNet, Nova Energy, Powerco and Vector, recently announced that in a New Zealand first, the Te Horo Hydrogen Blending Pilot has reached a 10% hydrogen blend, a key milestone for this pioneering project.
More than five years of preparation and planning have gone into ensuring the pilot can be delivered successfully and has been designed to test the feasibility of using New Zealand’s existing gas distribution network to transport hydrogen blended with natural gas.
We go behind the scenes and talk with Project Manager, Adeel Mushtaq to find out more about this innovative project.
The BOC hydrogen bottles and the Te Horo Blend Pilot site
Testing in the workshop and preparing to blend
“Hydrogen blending has never been tried before in New Zealand, which is the really exciting part of the project and bringing this project to life has taken an enormous amount of cooperation from residents, gas distributors, energy retailers, WorkSafe, MBIE, and many more,” says Mushtaq, who has led the trial since late 2023.
“Everyone has pitched in to support this project across our organisation and externally too. There have been hundreds of stakeholders involved. If people hadn’t worked so well together, we could not have done it all.
“While some teams worked on legal and regulatory hurdles, the technical team reviewed and completed a detailed design phase for the pilot, drawing on research from similar overseas trials. Then with materials delivered from various suppliers, the hydrogen blend setup was integrated in the workshop for testing. After site installation was completed and we received the delivery of hydrogen from BOC Gas, the team started working to prepare the site for hydrogen injection.
“All sorts of works were involved, starting with the civil works to increase the footprint of the existing delivery point in Te Horo, so the new equipment would fit in it,” Mushtaq says. “In parallel, we were doing instrumentation and electrical works in the workshop and assembling, integrating, testing and doing functional checks too, back here in New Plymouth.”
The Te Horo Hydrogen Blend Pilot Site.
Going above and beyond the safety requirements
“Because blending hydrogen into the network is new under the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010, Firstgas worked closely with WorkSafe New Zealand to secure two exemptions that enabled the pilot to go ahead, which were granted in July 2024.
“We planned with WorkSafe for stepwise increases to the proportion of hydrogen in the network,” says Mushtaq. “We started at 3.5% hydrogen, and then stepped to 5% then 10%, the next step is up to 15%, while staying within the gas specifications.”
To ensure safety at every stage, the team frequently meets with the 14 Te Horo residents who are receiving the blended gas in their homes to talk to them about their gas supply, check their gas appliances and take samples across the whole network.
“At the 3.5% blend, there is no difference for homeowners. That’s what we expected, and what’s been seen in similar trials across the UK, Ireland and Australia,” says Mushtaq. “Some international trials have found that even the flame colour remains the same at percentages lower than 20%.”
With the pilot now underway, what could the next step be for hydrogen blending?
Mushtaq says, “New Zealand’s energy future will be shaped by a mix of options, and this pilot ensures hydrogen blending is properly understood as one of them.
“It’s going to take time for the standards to be adjusted, and we need to keep an eye on the price of hydrogen. I think there is medium- and long-term potential for hydrogen to be put into the gas network for all sorts of customers, such as high-heat industries that are hard to electrify and heavy transport,” he adds.
Adeel Mushtaq, Project Manager, Firstgas
“We have learned a lot on this project; that’s why we love it”
Originally from Pakistan, Mushtaq has a mechanical engineering degree and spent many years working in the energy industry, in both Pakistan and Qatar, before arriving in Aotearoa in 2022 with his wife and children to settle in New Plymouth. Mushtaq has been enjoying the change of pace and thriving on the varied nature of his work.
“I really enjoy my role with Firstgas, because the people are so friendly to work with,” he says. “And we have learned a lot on this project, right across the engineering, operations, commercial and regulatory aspects of this project. That’s why we love it.”
Find out more about the Te Horo Hydrogen Blending Pilot here.
