Hydrogen pilot: Whitby residents 'will not be forced' into scheme

Cadent has applied for Whitby in Cheshire to be considered for a government pilot in hydrogen use

A town's residents will not be forced into taking part in a hydrogen heating pilot following local concerns.

Gas firm Cadent has applied for Whitby in Cheshire to be considered for a trial as part of the government's bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Redcar in North Yorkshire is also vying to become the UK's first "hydrogen village". The government is expected to choose one of them later this year.

Cadent said Whitby's residents would be able to opt out of the two-year scheme.

The government and gas firms say that while hydrogen is more leaky and combustible than natural gas, extra measures can be implemented to reduce the risk to a comparable level.

About 23m homes are connected to the gas grid

Marc Clarke, of Cadent Gas, said his company had been in "listening mode" following concerns from some residents who did not want to participate.

Some previously told the BBC they had felt like "lab rats" and were angry that they had not been asked to give their consent to participate in the trial.

Mr Clarke added there had been "a range of views" expressed, including from those who were interested in taking part.

If Whitby is chosen, all 2,000 residents in the proposed trial area would have the choice to continue using natural gas or switch to hydrogen for heating.

With homes accounting for about 17% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions, the government aims to phase out natural gas boilers from 2035.

But with 23 million homes connected to the gas grid, moving them to cleaner forms of energy will be a huge challenge.

Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide when it burns.

A study in 2022 did find it was much less efficient and more expensive than alternatives such as heat pumps.

Mr Clarke told BBC Radio Merseyside there would need to be a range of technologies to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, adding: "There won't be one type of heating solution that will roll out nationally… so we hope hydrogen can play a part in that."

If Whitby is chosen to take part in the pilot, the existing gas main would transport hydrogen to homes that opt in.

Cadent would also lay a new main to supply natural gas to those opting out.

The company confirmed it would convert all residents back to natural gas at the end of the trial by removing hydrogen appliances and installing new natural gas appliances for free.