The heat is off: Protests sink hydrogen village trial in UK

Ellesmere Port residents raised health and safety concerns over the scheme

The UK government has axed plans for hydrogen boilers to be installed in thousands of homes in Ellesmere Port. PA

The UK has scrapped plans to create a hydrogen village at one of two sites after residents protested.

It comes only weeks after the UK’s climate change watchdog warned the government will fail to hit its net-zero targets unless immediate action is taken and had highlighted the need for the schemes.

On Tuesday, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero announced a trial will no longer take place in the Whitby area of Ellesmere Port, north-west England.

Trials had been proposed for Whitby, as well as further north in Redcar on Teesside, involving hydrogen boilers being installed in about 2,000 homes.

Cadent, the gas distribution network for Whitby, and Northern Gas Networks (NGN), for Redcar, submitted rival bids earlier this year to test the feasibility of a home-heating grid run without natural gas.

But the plans prompted a backlash, with homeowners in both areas raising concerns that hydrogen is less safe, less energy-efficient and more expensive than gas or electric heat pumps.

Conservative peer Martin Callanan highlighted a lack of support for the project in Whitby but discussions over a Redcar trial continue.

“After listening to the views of residents, it’s clear that there is no strong local support, therefore Whitby will no longer be considered as the location for the UK’s first hydrogen village trial – discussions with NGN re Redcar are ongoing and we’ll announce next steps shortly," he tweeted.

Cadent said the government was “likely to progress the trial in Redcar”.

Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, criticised the government for not addressing safety concerns initially.

“This decision has been inevitable for some time and I hope the government and gas networks will learn from the mistakes that have been made in this process," he said.

“It is clear that asking people to try experimental new forms of energy consumption for their homes will not work unless basic questions about safety, efficacy and cost can be answered from the start.

“It is also clear that leaving people with the impression that this was happening without their consent sent entirely the wrong message out about how we need to tackle climate change.

“We need written, cast-iron assurances that this is the end of the matter and that the people of Whitby and Ellesmere Port will not have foisted on them at some later date a hydrogen village, a hydrogen town or some other variant. People have had enough.”

Michael Liebreich, founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, called it the “right decision”.

“The key here is you need informed consent, just like you would in a drug trial," he said.

“This is a process that’s intrusive, it is a change to your house, it’s a change in the way you heat, it’s a change to potentially your bills in the future, it’s a change to the way you cook, it can change your own future plans for going to different sources.”

The proposed trial in Redcar is due to begin in 2025 and last two years, with funding supplied by energy regulator Ofgem.

"We know that this will be disappointing to the many residents who told us they wanted their community to play a pioneering role in decarbonising how we heat our homes in the UK," Cadent said in a statement.

“We believe strongly in the role that hydrogen can play alongside other technologies and energy sources in reaching net zero.

“While Whitby won’t be the location for the trial, the information we have gained over the last 12 months will still play an invaluable role in shaping how the UK heats its homes and businesses in the future.”

Last month, the Climate Change Committee said it had lost confidence in the UK’s ability to meet its pledges due to inertia on pushing ahead with vital initiatives, including installing heat pumps.

It has previously said hydrogen could cover about 5 per cent of the UK's domestic heat demand within 30 years.

Last week the government was accused of planning to drop its flagship £11.6 billion ($14.76 billion) climate and nature funding pledge ahead of Cop28 after a leaked report.

Rishi Sunak’s government was accused of “moral bankruptcy” after a document given to the Foreign Office suggested it was on track to discard its international climate finance policy.