U.S. energy company Sempra Energy said Nov. 23 that two of its California utilities were developing a program to use surplus renewable power to produce green hydrogen that can be injected into the natural gas grid to help to reduce carbon emissions.

Sempra said its Southern California Gas Co (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) utilities were planning multiple hydrogen blending projects throughout their service territories.

“This hydrogen blending program is a key milestone in our efforts to decarbonize our energy system, while delivering affordable and reliable energy to 22 million California customers,” Kevin Sagara, group president for Sempra Energy and chairman of SoCalGas and SDG&E, said.

Sempra said SoCalGas expects to choose the location of the initial project in early 2021. The initial hydrogen blend level is planned at 1% and may increase to as much as 20%.

Last year, SoCalGas set a goal to deliver 5% renewable natural gas, produced from organic waste, by 2022 and 20% by 2030.