IChemE’s Oil, Gas and Energy Transition SIG tackles hydrogen and affordability in first meeting

LOW-CARBON power and how the UK can afford it were among the key topics discussed at IChemE’s Oil, Gas, and Energy Transition (OGET) special interest group’s (SIG) first-ever in-person meeting.

The SIG, active for a year, brought together industry experts to the UK Pathway to Net Zero event, hosted at engineering firm McDermott’s West London office. The session centred on how the UK can meet its net zero targets without placing unsustainable costs on energy customers.

“We have done some things well, but probably not enough,” said Michael Foley, a chemical engineer who has worked for ExxonMobil for 23 years. “Today we're seeing a step backwards from some of the multilateral alignment we had around reducing emissions. We’ve also seen geopolitical fracturing and an increased focus on energy security and affordability, and that has probably slowed some of the pace of things down.”

Facilitated by Steve Flynn, the chair of the OGET SIG, the debate panel featured Foley, Claire Adjiman, professor of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and David Simmonds, energy expert and author of The Chemical Engineer’s Engineering Net Zero series.

Electricity remains expensive in the UK, with households and industry paying some of the highest prices globally. Despite the challenges, the panel agreed that industry enthusiasm for low-carbon technologies is strong and outlined potential pathways to accelerate progress.

Systems thinking approach

The panel examined the UK’s current energy mix, which still relies heavily on natural gas and discussed why renewables and electrification alone are unlikely to deliver a stable transition.

Simmonds noted that comparisons with Scandinavia are misleading: those countries already relied on electric heating, supported by well-insulated homes, long before their current low-carbon transition.

He said: “The utilisation factor of renewable energy is only about 40% in the UK currently, the wind is only blowing at certain times. Where you’ve got a gigawatt of capacity, the average output is only around 400 megawatts.

“This is having an impact on the way our grid operates today. And obviously we're having to tie in the new supplies into the grid. And that is having an impact on the cost to consumers as well.”

Adjiman, a specialist in process systems engineering, emphasised the need for a holistic approach: “We need a systems engineering approach to develop a system which does not have a single solution, but actually a range of components that are complementing each other.”

She added: “That's a great challenge for chemical engineers to take up, to think about what a hydrogen system can be, where battery storage can be used in times where electricity is not being generated.”

Customer cost and engagement

The panel stressed that consumers must remain central to the transition, noting that affordability and choice will determine public support.

Simmonds said: “We're forcing technologies onto consumers and saying, you've got to have a heat pump, you've got to have an electric car, without necessarily thinking of the total system impact.”

He suggested hybrid heating systems as an example of a more flexible approach: “If the government was willing to give a grant for me to have a heat pump and still keep my gas boiler, which could eventually become a hydrogen boiler, I’d be able to stay warm on the coldest days.”

Beyond cost, the panel emphasised the need for clearer public communication on the energy transition. Adjiman highlighted the value of local engagement: “If you get them involved in finding the solutions, understanding that their ideas are welcome, so that they can understand the impact of their decisions, that can enact change. But it needs all of us to go and reach out to small groups.”

The OGET SIG will host another in-person meeting in January in collaboration with IChemE’s London and South East Coast member group, with minister for industry Chris McDonald set to attend.

For updates on OGET SIG events, visit its webpage.