Redcar hydrogen trial scrapped by government

A proposed pilot project to replace home gas supplies with hydrogen will not go ahead, the government has said.

Redcar on Teesside was the remaining area bidding to host the trial after proposals for Ellesmere Port were scrapped in July due to residents' objections.

Both areas have seen protests by people concerned about safety, cost, and the ability to opt out of any trial.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN), which would have run the Redcar trial, said it was "disappointed".

The company said the trial was not going ahead because the expected green hydrogen facilities would not now be available.

"We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to take forward our plan to heat homes and businesses in Redcar with low carbon hydrogen," a spokesperson said.

“Without adequate local hydrogen production, it is no longer possible to deliver the project."

Residents in both Redcar and Ellesmere Port had raised concerns about the safety of replacing home gas supplies with hydrogen.

They were worried it was more explosive and produced more harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) than the currently supplied natural gas, though NGN said all safety issues would be addressed.

People living in Redcar also campaigned to be allowed to opt out of any pilot.

In a written statement to the Commons, the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Claire Coutinho, said the proposed trial could not go ahead "as designed" because the "main source of hydrogen supply" would not be available.

"As such, the government is not in a position to provide support for the trial," she said.

In the same announcement, Ms Coutinho said the government was backing 11 projects across the UK to produce green hydrogen, through a process known as electrolysis.

She confirmed suppliers would receive a guaranteed price from the government for the clean energy they supply.

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