Turkey will be blending hydrogen, promoted as a clean, efficient and sustainable energy source, with natural gas with the new facility established in the central province of Konya.
The Center For Clean Energy Technologies is due to be opened Friday by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez. The facility was established by the Natural Gas Distributors Association (GAZBIR) Technical Center GEZMER.
Blending hydrogen into the natural gas network is known as having benefits for energy storage, resiliency and emissions reductions.
Hydrogen can be injected into natural gas pipelines, and the blend can then be used by conventional end-users of natural gas to generate power and heat.
Turkish households will be provided cleaner energy with the facility that will mark a first for Turkey.
Speaking ahead of the opening, Dönmez said hydrogen would be injected into natural gas at a certain rate, thus boosting its performance.
The new form of clean energy will be spread throughout Turkey in the medium-term, the minister noted.
The latest move comes as part of Turkey’s quest for alternative resources to lower its external energy dependency.
The research and development (R&D) studies at the center are expected to reduce both carbon density as well as natural gas imports.
Turkey has the sixth largest natural gas distribution network in Europe with a length of around 156,000 kilometers (96,900 miles). Natural gas is being used across 81 provinces. Some 82% of the population benefits from the current natural gas network.
The country’s annual natural gas consumption hovers around 45 billion cubic meters (bcm).
