Hydrogen is to be pumped into Britain's main gas pipelines by 2025 as part of the move to net zero.
Between 2% and 5% of the fuel flowing through the country's transmission network will be hydrogen in two years under plans drawn up by National Gas, which owns the pipelines.
The blending would be the first step in plans to convert the network so that it can be filled entirely with hydrogen by 2050, as part of a national overhaul to cut carbon emissions.
Jon Butterworth, chief executive of National Gas, told the Telegraph: "What we're trying to achieve is to make sure there's a balanced response to energy.
"On a winter's day, you've got seven times more energy going through the gas network than the electricity network.
"We've got to look at ways to decarbonise that, while making sure that industry is still provided for - that businesses have the gas they need.
Repurposing system
"So we are transferring slowly into hydrogen - we're going to repurpose our system slowly over time into hydrogen."
National Gas's 4,700-mile transmission network moves gas, piped in from fields or shipped in from abroad, under high pressure to different areas around the UK, where it is then picked up by smaller distribution networks and taken on to homes and businesses.
It is now majority owned by a consortium led by Macquarie, the Australian bank, after National Grid sold its 60% stake in January in order to focus on electricity.
Operators of gas distribution networks are also working on plans which would allow them to blend up to 20% hydrogen into natural gas in their pipelines from 2024.
Hydrogen has been used in the network before, as a major part of the "town gas", made from coal which was widely used in Britain in the 1960s before being replaced with gas after reserves were discovered in the North Sea.
However, hydrogen is making a comeback in the push to tackle global warming, as it does not produce carbon emissions when burned.
Replacing fossil fuels
Politicians hope it can replace fossil fuels where using renewable electricity instead is too difficult, such as shipping or heavy trucks.
Hydrogen is also being considered as a replacement for gas in power stations, where it can be used to fill in gaps in power supplies on still days when wind turbines are not spinning.
Household boilers that can run on 100% hydrogen are not yet on the UK market.
National Gas says homes can receive natural gas blended with up to 20% hydrogen without having to change their appliances, though the blending plans still need regulatory approval.
Aberdeen hydrogen plans
Last March, Aberdeen City Council and BP signed an agreement to form a joint venture partnership to deliver a green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility.
Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub is to be developed in three phases in response to growing demands for hydrogen.
Phase one, which involves delivery of a green hydrogen production and transport refuelling facility powered by a solar farm, is targeting first production from 2024, delivering over 800kg of green hydrogen per day - enough to fuel 25 buses and a similar number of other fleet vehicles.
Future phases could see production scaled up to supply larger volumes of green hydrogen for rail, freight and marine, as well as supply of hydrogen for heat and potentially export.