DNV Appointed to Lead Hydrogen Infrastructure FEED on Cadent’s H2East Pipeline

If you’ve been watching the UK’s push towards a low-carbon future, you’re probably curious how we’ll actually build out the hydrogen network. Well, this month Cadent—the biggest gas distribution operator in the country—brought DNV on board as Owner’s Engineer for the front-end engineering design (FEED) of the 150-kilometer H2East pipeline. Running from the Humber industrial hub to Newark in Nottinghamshire, it’s the UK’s first serious stretch of its planned hydrogen infrastructure, signalling that dreams of clean hydrogen are getting real.

Laying the Groundwork for Hydrogen Infrastructure

The path for the H2East pipeline winds its way through a patchwork of heavy industry. It kicks off at Immingham in the Humber—where steelworks and chemical plants dominate—and then snakes underground across South Humberside and Lincolnshire before reaching the East Midlands. Along the way, it’ll hook up with hydrogen production hubs run by Uniper and HyMarnham, feeding straight into the Trent Supercluster, one of the UK’s hotspots for green H2. By literally wiring these production centers to industrial demand, we’re laying the rail for a wider shift in how we supply hydrogen for industrial decarbonization.

The Role of DNV in FEED

So, why is DNV such a big deal? Bringing them on as Owner’s Engineer means Cadent is tapping into independent expertise just when it matters most. Dating back to 1864 as Det Norske Veritas, the Norway-based firm is top-tier in risk management, engineering design oversight, and hydrogen know-how. In this FEED stage, they’ll pore over contractor drawings, challenge assumptions on flow rates and pressures, and stress-test materials—from steel grades to welds and coatings—to make sure nothing buckles under hydrogen’s quirks. The goal is to catch issues at the drawing board, not halfway through construction, saving both time and money.

FEED might sound like jargon, but it’s where you transform a high-level route map into detailed engineering blueprints that meet rigorous safety and performance standards. Hydrogen’s tiny molecules mean different pressure limits, embrittlement protections, and leak-detection methods compared to natural gas. DNV’s engineers will simulate everything—from frosty winter snaps to emergency shutdowns—so the design is bulletproof before Cadent even invites bids. It’s about doing it right the first time because fixing mistakes on paper is a whole lot cheaper than in the field.

Funding and Collaborative Landscape

Backing this all up is a £96 million grant from Ofgem’s Net Zero Pre-construction Work programme, secured by Cadent for the East Coast hydrogen pipeline design. That funding injects real momentum into the East Coast Hydrogen collaboration—National Gas, Northern Gas Networks, and Cadent teaming up to build a UK-wide grid for hydrogen transport. It’s a prime example of how policy frameworks and collective effort can kickstart the move to sustainable energy.

Economic and Regional Impacts

Communities in South Humberside, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire stand to gain more than just cleaner air. The pipeline will bring new jobs in engineering, construction, and ongoing operations. Local suppliers—from steel fabricators to valve makers—will see fresh contracts. And with a reliable transport route, hydrogen producers can scale up, knowing there’s a market lined up. It’s a virtuous cycle: infrastructure supports production, production justifies more infrastructure, and regional economies get a real boost.

Technical Foundations and Safety Standards

On the technical front, FEED honed in on material compatibility and tough safety protocols. Hydrogen’s tiny molecules are notorious for escaping, and its tendency to cause metal embrittlement means we need specific steel grades and coatings. DNV’s experts will validate welding procedures, assess pipeline coating integrity, and model transient flow behaviors under all kinds of conditions. These details might sound arcane, but they’re the difference between a pipeline that runs trouble-free for decades and one that becomes a maintenance nightmare.

Navigating Regulatory Hurdles

Once FEED wraps up, Cadent will steer H2East through the Development Consent Order process—a regulatory marathon that can stretch four to five years. It’s a reminder that energy projects aren’t just about civil works; they also hinge on public consultations, environmental assessments, and planning approvals. DNV’s independent reports will be gold dust here, strengthening applications and reassuring stakeholders about safety and environmental impact.

Looking beyond H2East, this pipeline is the first chapter of a proposed national hydrogen transmission network. Over time, more “rails” and “spokes” will link the Thames Estuary, Scotland, and beyond. The lessons learned—from tech specs to contract models—will form a blueprint so future projects don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

And the ripple effects? They’re huge. A robust hydrogen network beefs up regional energy resilience, offering a buffer when renewables dip. New business models around hydrogen trading, storage, and compression will emerge. As local supply chains and skills deepen, the UK could even export its expertise—another arrow in the quiver of sustainable energy.

What Comes Next?

With DNV at the helm of FEED, Cadent is primed to turn design into reality. We’re still a couple of years away from the first molecules of hydrogen flowing beneath our feet, but the blueprint is taking shape. As the UK races towards net-zero targets, projects like H2East will test our ability to build industrial-scale hydrogen systems. And the million-pound question remains: once the pipeline’s buried, how quickly can we fire it up? Only time—and a few hundred kilometers of steel—will tell.