Road planning

This LAP indicates if hydrogen has to follow specific requirements when transported, and if the regulations are different from the transport of other types of gas. It identifes the competent authorities to allocate the routes.

Glossary:

Road Planning provide the municipalities with a clear understanding of the maximum risks that the transport of hazardous substances may cause. Baseline goals are: Transport hazardous substances between major industrial sites and abroad, including in the future, keeping risks for locals along the routes within legal limits, provide clarity to municipalities about what may / may not be built.

Pan-European Assessment:

Hydrogen is considered as any other flammable gas or dangerous good for its transportation. The Agreement of transport of Dangerous Goods by Road applies.

select country:

Is it a barrier?

Assessment Severity

Assessment

The industrial gas companies involved in the transport of hydrogen and other industrial gases over many years and have established specialised vehicle fleets and depots with trained personnel and control systems have indicated that this is not a fundamental barrier and that the ADR and associated regulatory arrangements are manageable in the context dealing with a hazardous gas.

Questions:

Question 1 Are there any specific regulations or restrictions on the road transport of hydrogen? A) Does hydrogen have to follow specific requirements when transported? (e.g. specific types of roads, specific route)

Yes – in line with other hazardous gas products. Routing is only restricted with regard to tunnels and just 9 tunnels across the UK have restrictions on flammable / explosive cargoes

Question 1 Are there any specific regulations or restrictions on the road transport of hydrogen? B) Please specify the requirements regarding tunnels, bridges, parking, others

For the UK vehicle routing for vehicles carrying H2 is only restricted with regard to tunnels and just 9 tunnels across the UK have been classified under ADR with related restrictions on flammable / explosive cargoes – only A risk category tunnels can be used at anytime and B/C category tunnels may have time restrictions as to when they can be used. Vehicles with ADR recognised hazardous cargoes are not permitted in public car parks and must use separated parking areas at motorway service stations

Question 2 Which authorities are competent to allocate the routes? (and at what level: national, local?)

Route allocation / restriction does not take place in the UK – although there is the exclusion of hydrogen carriage through some of the 9 UK tunnels that have limits on the transit of certain categories of flammable / explosive cargoes, including Hydrogen. Department for Transport - Dangerous Goods Division.

Question 3 Are the regulations differing from the transport of other types of gas?

Hydrogen stored under pressure (above 5 bar) is classified as a dangerous substance with hazards that need to be recognised for storage and transport purposes. As a Category 1 ‘Extremely Flammable Gas’ H220 (or as a compressed gas ‘May Explode if Heated’ then it is treated as other similar dangerous gaseous substances for transport purposes under ADR Regulations

Describe the comparable technology and its relevance with regard to hydrogen

Similar flammable / explosive gases

National legislation:

UK – Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles Regulations 2009 (CDG Regs) – restructured to create the majority of duties by direct reference to ADR. They were amended in 2011, mainly to take account of changes to the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive
SI 2009 No 1348
Carriage of Dangerous Goods Manual – Regulatory & Enforcement Environment – HSE
The Pressure Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2015
applies in the UK to the design, manufacture, conformity assessment and periodic reassessment of transportable cylinders, tubes, cryogenic vessels and tanks for transporting gases; also covers associated valves and includes both refillable and non–refillable cylinders. It applies to existing equipment as well as new equipment introduced since the PED implementation date, 1st July 2001. Existing equipment is checked for compliance during periodic assessments. Aspects of the design, production and testing of the equipment are the subject of a large number of harmonized standards. In addition to ensuring that the equipment is capable of meeting the performance requirements of the directive, manufacturers must also complete a specified declaration of conformity and they must compile and maintain a technical file of information about how the equipment was designed and manufactured and supply it to the Notified body. The ADR specifies what needs to be marked on the equipment and included in the instructions

EU Legislation:

European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances [CLP regulation]
The CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures) entered into force on the 20th of January 2009 and replaced the two previously existing laws or legal instruments, the Dangerous Substance Directive (DSD) and the Dangerous Preparation Directive (DPD). CLP is based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), a set of recommendations drafted by the United Nations. The CLP Regulation is applied to substances since 2010 and to mixtures since June 2015.

The Regulation includes hydrogen in its list of substances of hazardous substances (Part 3, Table 3.1) establishes rules for the harmonised classification and labelling of hydrogen.
Directive 2014/68/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of pressure equipment.
The Pressure Equipment Directive, applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar.

Technical requirements and classification according to an ascending level of hazard, depending on pressure, volume or nominal size, the fluid group and state of aggregation, as well as conformity assessment procedures are laid down and required by the Directive

Hydrogen is a fluid which falls under Group 1. Group 1 consists of dangerous fluids (flammable, toxic and/or oxidizing). As a result, a large part of the equipment for H2 production, storage and distribution must meet the technical requirements set out in the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED).

The Directive is relevant for the approval of landing / bunkering installations
Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on the inland transport of dangerous goods.
Extends the uniform rules of ADR to national transport.

Article 5

Restrictions on grounds of transport safety

1. Member States may on grounds of transport safety apply more stringent provisions, with the exception of construction requirements, concerning the national transport of dangerous goods by vehicles, wagons and inland waterway vessels registered or put into circulation within their territory.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 453/2010 of 20 May 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
The Regulation defines the requirement for safety data sheets. It provides, as part of Annex 1 and 2 detailed requirements for the compilation of safety data sheets, which should include, inter alia: (i) Identification of the substance/mixture and of the company/undertaking, (ii) Hazards identification, (iii) Composition/information on ingredients, (iii) First aid measures, (iv) Accidental release measures, (v) Handling and storage, (vi) Exposure controls/personal protection, (vii) Physical and chemical properties, (viii) Toxicological information, (ix) Ecological information, (x) Transport information, (xi) Regulatory information
ADR European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by roads.
hazardous materials may in general be transported internationally in wheeled vehicles, provided that conditions be met for the product packaging and labelling; and that the construction, equipment, and use of vehicles for the transport is compliant:
Safety data Sheet SDS Eiga067A
Point 14 Transport informations