Redcar hydrogen energy pilot homes denied opt-out option

Hydrogen cookers and fires are still at the prototype stage

Opponents of a pilot project to replace home gas supplies with hydrogen say they should have the "same human right" to opt out as others.

Redcar on Teesside and Whitby in Cheshire are bidding to host the trial.

The Cheshire residents have been told by Cadent Gas they can opt out entirely but Northern Gas Networks (NGN) said the same would not apply in Redcar.

NGN said residents could chose an electric alternative if they did not want hydrogen.

Steve Rudd, from Redcar, said: "The lack of respect shown to consumers is unacceptable."

He said residents were still unclear about what alternatives to hydrogen would be provided and questioned whether NGN's bid should be submitted before "telling residents what options are actually available to them".

The option to opt out entirely was in line with other projects elsewhere, he added.

"We should have the same basic human right to choose," he said.

Coatham is one of the areas of Redcar earmarked for the pilot

The government wants to phase out natural gas boilers by 2035, as homes account for about 17% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.

The pilot projects would involve cutting off the natural gas supply and replacing it with hydrogen fed through to new appliances.

But Cadent Gas said it had been in "listening mode" in the face of opposition and would run hydrogen through the existing gas main and lay new pipes supplying natural gas to those opting out.

NGN said it had "no plans to build a parallel grid in Redcar" for natural gas.

"Our project aims to demonstrate the repurposing of the existing gas network for hydrogen," a spokesperson said.

"If given the go-ahead, customers will have a choice between hydrogen and an electric alternative."

Two bids are due to be submitted on Friday by NGN, which would run any pilot in Redcar, and Cadent Gas, which covers Cheshire.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will choose one of the two.

There are concerns hydrogen is more combustible and prone to leaks than natural gas.

While gas companies accept this, they say extra measures would be implemented to reduce the risk to a comparable level.

Hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide when it burns but can be produced using fossil fuels, which do.