Hydrogen could replace natural gas in thousands of homes under controversial plans to decarbonise entire towns in Britain’s push towards net zero.
Ministers have asked the UK’s main gas network operators to nominate the most suitable towns to be moved from methane to pure hydrogen as part of the pilot over the next decade.
It comes as the Government prepares to publish its long-awaited “Hydrogen Roadmap”, which will set out how the UK can build a network of hydrogen production factories, and convert homes, businesses, and transport networks to the green fuel.
In a recent letter from the Government, operators were told that policymakers want to “support the development of plans for a pilot hydrogen town which could potentially be implemented before the end of this decade”.
They were asked to supply the names of towns they deemed “most suitable for conversion to enable hydrogen heating at scale”.
Subsequent suggestions for potential hydrogen towns include Aberdeen, Scunthorpe, and areas close to Humberside and Merseyside.
Two towns in Wales and another in the West Country have also been proposed, although only one or two of the nominated towns will be chosen.
The plan will no doubt prove controversial.
The Government has already been forced to abandon plans for a smaller “hydrogen village” in Whitby after local protests.
However, moving the UK away from natural gas is essential to achieve net zero targets and Ministers are seeking new ways to press ahead.
The Government is expected to announce within days that another site in Redcar, Teesside, will be approved despite growing local concern.
The scheme has been awaiting approval by Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho for weeks.
One idea to reassure households is to rebrand the nominated towns and villages as “decarbonisation zones”, with residents offered the option of switching from gas to heat pumps.
In another bold move, ministers are also considering permitting gas companies to start blending hydrogen into the nation’s existing gas network.
Hydrogen’s value lies in having a high energy density, so it can power anything from homes to heavy vehicles.
It also produces no CO2, whereas gas boilers currently account for 22pc of UK greenhouse gas emissions.
The UK’s existing gas pipe network could be switched to hydrogen with few modifications.
It means there is broad support for its potential as a fuel for heavy vehicles such as lorries and trains, or in heavy industries like power stations and cement making.
However, its use in homes is controversial after a recent National Infrastructure Assessment suggested that hydrogen is inefficient for domestic settings.
Others have disagreed and the Government’s own hydrogen strategy states that it could “provide an important low carbon alternative to the UK’s largely natural gas-based domestic heating sector”.
SGN, which oversees 74,000km of gas pipelines serving 2m homes and businesses in Scotland and 4m in southern England, will next year start one of the world’s first hydrogen trials.
About 300 homes in the Scottish east coast community of Buckhaven and Dunbeath, Fife, have each been offered a free new hydrogen boiler plus £1,000 to take part.
Mark Wild, SGN’s chief executive, said scaling up from the Fife trial would be an essential next step.
Cadent, which supplies gas to gas to 11m homes and businesses throughout the North West, Midlands, eastern England and North London, said it had nominated Scunthorpe, an area around Merseyside and another on Humberside as possible hydrogen towns.
Wales & West Utilities, which supplies 2.5m homes and businesses across an area stretching from Wrexham to Redruth, said it had identified two Welsh towns and another in the West Country that might be suitable.
The local response in trial towns like Redcar will be used to gauge how to approach larger projects.
Local MP Jacob Young, who became the first Conservative MP to represent Redcar in 2019, has supported the trial.
However, some residents have voiced opposition, fearing disruption and safety concerns.
Dawn Campbell, who owns two properties in Redcar, said the gas network was “not being upfront” about safety concerns: “We are the guinea pigs to test if it’s safe.”
A spokesperson for Northern Gas Networks said: “We will never install anything that risks people’s safety or homes. As a responsible gas network, safety is always our number one priority and we have decades of experience safely and reliably delivering gas.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “By 2030, we aim to deliver 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity, including at least half from green hydrogen sources, supporting more than 12,000 jobs and up to £11bn of private investment across the UK.
“We are building the necessary evidence base to determine whether hydrogen blending offers strategic and economic value and meets the required safety standards. We will confirm more details by the end of the year.”
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2023-12-09 18:00:00Z
CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlbGVncmFwaC5jby51ay9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDIzLzEyLzA5L3VucG9wdWxhci1oeWRyb2dlbi10cmlhbHMtZXhwYW5kZWQtbW9yZS1ob21lcy1iYWNrbGFzaC_SAQA
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