Enabling the hydrogen economy with Enbridge through existing gas infrastructure
At a glance
GHD and DNV supported Enbridge Gas with a comprehensive assessment of hydrogen blending across its natural gas system in Ontario, helping define a practical, scalable pathway to support Enbridge’s “all-of-the-above approach” for energy system planning. This work builds on GHD’s global insights and experience into hydrogen blending.
The challenge
Enbridge Gas is working to reduce the carbon intensity of its natural gas system in response to Federal and Provincial decarbonization policies and regulations while maintaining safety, reliability and affordability for customers in the future. Hydrogen blending offered a promising near‑term decarbonization option, but Enbridge needed system‑wide insight into what levels of blending were technically feasible, where it made the most sense, and what infrastructure upgrades would be required across transmission and distribution assets. The primary goal of the work was to provide comprehensive assessments to have the system be technically ready for blending.
The challenge was to evaluate hydrogen blending rigorously, using existing infrastructure, while addressing material compatibility, safety risk, operational impacts, end‑user readiness and lifecycle emissions.
Our response
GHD and DNV partnered with Enbridge Gas to deliver a comprehensive technical, economic and greenhouse gas impact assessment of hydrogen blending across its Ontario network. Working alongside global assurance and testing firm DNV, GHD co-led the engineering, modelling and system assessment work, combining deep local network knowledge with specialist hydrogen expertise.
The study included a state‑of‑the‑art review of hydrogen blending, system‑wide screening of pipelines and facilities, detailed integrity and risk assessments aligned with CSA Z662‑23 (Clause 17), greenhouse gas analysis, techno‑economic evaluation, and development of a phased hydrogen adoption roadmap.
The work also examined end‑user equipment compatibility and identified areas where blending could begin safely, supported by extensive modelling, and areas where additional material and integrity testing is needed. In parallel, GHD is supporting related potential hydrogen production and pipeline projects including blending and injection design, linked to Enbridge’s network, helping connect supply with future demand and enabling infrastructure.
The impact
The study indicated blending up to 25% hydrogen by volume is feasible across much of the distribution network with targeted upgrades, while transmission systems are less immediately suitable for hydrogen blending. Risk levels were shown to remain within acceptable thresholds, supporting a safety‑first, phased rollout approach
The outcomes provide Enbridge with an evidence‑based path to begin hydrogen blending, support the case for hydrogen supply development in Ontario, and enable industrial customers with limited decarbonization options to start reducing emissions using existing infrastructure.
Beyond the study, the work has supported follow‑on blending and decarbonization projects by others in Canada and the United States and laid the foundation for future dedicated hydrogen infrastructure as the market matures. This delivery‑focused approach reflects the principles outlined in GHD’s H2Now campaign, which focuses on preparing infrastructure, markets and communities to implement hydrogen blending today.