Portland, OR-based natural gas utility NW Natural is preparing for carbon neutrality by 2050 with plans to inject hydrogen into its natural gas distribution system. 

NW Natural expects to begin a pilot at its Central Portland facility in early 2023 with technology installations from sustainable heat and power technology company Modern Electron. The pilot would produce turquoise hydrogen, which is created by splitting natural gas through methane pyrolysis into hydrogen and solid carbon. 

“This technology could provide an incredibly elegant and flexible way of producing clean hydrogen – and potentially at a very low cost whenever and wherever we need it on our system to help decarbonize,” said NW Natural’s Kim Heiting, senior vice president of Operations.

The method of...