Utilities Seek to Bypass Low-Level Hydrogen Blending Demo, Citing Proven Safety

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), along with San Diego Gas & Electric Company and Southwest Gas Corporation, on Tuesday submitted a petition to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to modify a 2022 decision.

According to the source, the petition seeks to remove the requirement for the state's investor-owned gas utilities to develop a demonstration project blending up to 5 percent hydrogen into natural gas before recommending a systemwide clean renewable hydrogen injection standard for medium pressure distribution systems.

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The utilities argue that new research, operational data, and real-world experience since 2022 have advanced the safety case for low-level blends. The petition does not change the requirement for utilities to develop demonstration projects studying blends in the 5 percent to 20 percent range.

"Building off what we've learned collectively over the past few years, the CPUC has an opportunity to save ratepayers both money and time as we work to help California scale hydrogen production and decrease carbon emissions," said Amy Kitson, Vice President of Gas Engineering and System Integrity, SoCalGas. "Hydrogen blending is already being used here in the U.S. and around the world every day to power people's homes and businesses, which has shown us that mixing up to 5 percent hydrogen can be done safely in medium pressure natural gas systems."

Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) said, "Blending up to 5 percent hydrogen is a practical, forward-looking step toward decarbonizing our natural gas system. It leverages existing infrastructure to reduce emissions today while planning for a cleaner energy future."

Jack Brouwer, UCI professor and director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center, added, "We should not delay this important step toward making our entire energy system more sustainable and clean. All objective analyses of the energy transition show that use of both the gas and electric systems are required to achieve sustainability, reliability, and lowest cost goals."

Research and Global Precedent

Advancements over the past four years, supported by research and real-world demonstrations in the U.S. and other countries, show that low-level hydrogen blends do not harm pipelines and appliances or impact system safety, according to the source.

States like Utah, which have completed similar demonstration projects, have shown that blending up to 5 percent hydrogen can be done safely and doesn't require changes to customer appliances. Hawaii Gas has safely used up to 15 percent hydrogen in its fuel mix for more than a half-century.

Several studies have also shown that blends of up to 20 percent hydrogen can safely power regular everyday household and business appliances, while reducing carbon emissions and potentially reducing nitrous oxide emissions.

SoCalGas has been demonstrating hydrogen blending for over a decade, having completed the first-ever power-to-gas hydrogen blending project in the United States in 2016 at UC Irvine.

SoCalGas currently has proposed two hydrogen blending demonstration projects, one of which is designed to blend up to 5 percent hydrogen and would not be completed if the CPUC approves the pending petition.