SLR supports East Coast Hydrogen partnership

On 20th June 2025, Ofgem announced a major funding award of £96 million for the East Coast Hydrogen partnership; a collaboration between Cadent Gas, National Gas Transmission, and Northern Gas Networks. This funding will support the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) of three strategically important hydrogen pipeline projects.

The investment represents a significant step forward in the UK’s energy transition, enabling the development of a hydrogen pipeline network that will supply low-carbon hydrogen to industrial clusters across Teesside, the Humber, South Yorkshire, and the East Midlands.

SLR is proud to be supporting Cadent alongside our partners at Worley, Fisher German, and Camargue. Our work on the Pre-FEED for Cadent's East Coast Hydrogen North project played a key role in securing this vital funding. This involved identifying corridor options and undertaking comparative assessment of these options. We also undertook the review and selection of Hydrogen Above Ground Installations (HAGI) locations. The siting and routing work was supported by our in-house digital routing tool, which rapidly assimilates large datasets of environmental and engineering constraints to develop route options and can select sites suitable for HAGIs. The output from these studies was a comprehensive route corridor and HAGI site selection report which reviewed alternatives and selected preferred options, with justification for options based on a thorough review of constraints and with reference to national policy. Additionally, we developed a consenting strategy, produced a draft needs case, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) strategy, and a phasing strategy for the rollout of the pipeline network, and a survey access strategy for the project. Working with consortium partners, SLR also developed detailed consenting costs for all phases of the project.

Alongside Worley, Murphy, Fisher German and Camargue, SLR will continue to support Cadent through the EIA and Development Consent process. Ourcollaborative approach to this project has been key to the successful delivery of the Pre-FEED, and our team will continue to apply innovative and sustainable solutions to help deliver this nationally significant infrastructure project.

This funding marks a pivotal moment in the development of the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure. The East Coast Hydrogen initiative is expected to play a vital role in decarbonising heavy industry and supporting the UK’s net zero targets.

SLR is committed to enabling a more sustainable future through our work on transformative energy projects like this one.