Britain’s hydrogen town plan shelved

The plan to develop a hydrogen town in Britain has been put on hold until after 2026 and a decision on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heat.

In a short statement the government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the decision follows “careful consideration of the future of the work in light of the decision in December 2023 not to proceed with the hydrogen village in Redcar.

“We believe that low carbon hydrogen may have a role to play in heat decarbonisation, alongside heat pumps and heat networks, but in slower time in some locations,” the statement continues.

It adds that the 2026 decision will based on the outcomes of the H100 hydrogen neighbourhood trial currently underway in Fife, Scotland as well as from similar programmes underway in Europe.

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The concept of an expanding hydrogen neighbourhood to village to town progression to test hydrogen for heating and cooking at increasing scale was first mooted back in 2020.

While the neighbourhood trial is proceeding, the two potential locations for a hydrogen village were both shelved in 2023 – that in Whitby from Cadent in July due to public opposition and that in Redcar from Northern Gas Networks in December due to the hydrogen supply not becoming available.

Proposals for a hydrogen town, with at least 10,000 metering points by 2030, were submitted in January 2023 by four gas network operators – Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities – with several potential locations in northern England, Scotland and Wales suggested.

In a tweet Minister Lord Callanan simply reiterated the decision not to progress the hydrogen town pilot, stating: “… heat pumps and heat networks will be the main route to cutting household emissions for the foreseeable future”.

H100 Fife neighbourhood trial

The H100 neighbourhood trial, which is being led by SGN in Levenmouth on Scotland’s east coast, is reported to be proceeding well but with supply chain and procurement challenges having led to a ‘go live’ delay to summer 2025 from an expectation in 2024.

SGN reports that to date about two-thirds of the new 8.2km hydrogen network has been installed.

Good progress also has been made with the construction of the green hydrogen production and storage facility in Fife Energy Park, with the foundations complete and work to install the electrolyser having begun and four of six storage vessels in place.

The construction of the hydrogen demonstration homes also is complete and they are now being fitted with appliances in preparation for opening up to participants.

Despite the delays, SGN reports “great support” from the local community and is committed to ensuring that participants “receive a first-class customer experience as they lead the world in this ground-breaking green project”.