Centrica PLC (LSE:CNA) subsidiary Bord Gáis Energy has become the third company to join a project aimed at repurposing the Celtic Sea’s Kinsale Head gas field to store green hydrogen.
Alongside ESB and dCarbonX, Bord Gáis will join the project on a co-equal basis, Centrica said on Sunday, which will see the trio retrofit the field’s depleted gas reservoirs for storage.
Natural gas will initially be stored at the site, before being replaced by green hydrogen in the future, which has been tipped as an alternative to conventional, carbon-emitting fuels.
Though hydrogen can be produced using polluting techniques, if made through electrolysis powered by renewable energy it is considered to be a ‘green’ fuel.
“Decarbonising Ireland’s energy system while maintaining security of supply is critical in the context of our growing economy,” Bord Gáis managing director Dave Kirwan said.
“As we help to deliver the green transition, there will be an ever-increasing role for gas and ultimately green hydrogen.”
The Kinsale area gas fields were developed between 1978 and 2003, before finally being decommissioned in 2020.
Centrica’s involvement in the project comes as depleted gas fields under the seas surrounding the UK and Ireland are increasingly looked to for future storage of the likes of hydrogen and even captured carbon emissions.