It comes after the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed on Tuesday a trial will not happen within the Whitby space of Ellesmere Port in Cheshire following native protests.
Cadent, the gasoline distribution community for Whitby, and Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the community for Redcar in Yorkshire, earlier this yr submitted rival bids to check the feasibility of a home-heating grid run with out pure gasoline in about 2,000 properties.
But Cadent mentioned on Tuesday the Government is now “likely to progress the trial in Redcar” after DESNZ mentioned its proposal for Whitby isn’t most well-liked.
Redcar residents at the moment are calling for an open native debate night with impartial consultants and an independently managed vote on whether or not the trial ought to go forward.
In its letter, the Redcar and Cleveland Hydrogen Trial Group mentioned 565 signatures from the proposed trial have signed a petition for these measures.
The group expressed concern that political help for hydrogen dwelling heating is waning and requested whether or not the trials ought to go forward in any respect.
It additionally claimed NGN is “biased in their approach to this trial” and have “vested interest in the outcome”.
Redcar residents deserve unbiased data to assist us make selections that can immediately have an effect on our day after day lives
The group accused the distributer of creating “highly inaccurate and unverified claims”, together with by saying the proposed trial will result in CO2 emissions.
The letter mentioned: “As residents, we are extremely concerned that there is a lack of independent advice and evidence available to us.”
It mentioned 43 impartial research from knowledgeable organisations just like the International Environment Agency “find that hydrogen will play an extremely limited role in home heating in a net-zero world”.
“Redcar residents deserve unbiased information to help us make decisions that will directly affect our day to day lives,” it mentioned.
“We call for independent experts to advise local residents on the risks and benefits of taking part in this trial, and more widely to advise the government on whether the trial should go ahead.”
Earlier this yr, the Government mentioned its proposed “hydrogen village trial” wouldn’t go forward with out robust native help.
It adopted a backlash from householders within the proposed areas of Redcar and Whitby, with issues that hydrogen is much less secure, much less energy-efficient and dearer than gasoline or electrical warmth pumps.
Conservative peer Lord Callanan tweeted on Tuesday: “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.”
The key right here is you want knowledgeable consent, identical to you’d in a drug trial. This is a course of that is intrusive, it’s a change to your own home, it is a change in the best way you warmth…
The proposed trial would start in 2025 and final two years, with funding equipped by vitality regulator Ofgem.
Michael Liebreich, founding father of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, mentioned calling off the Whitby trial is the “right decision” and residents have to be “fully informed” earlier than making a call.
He mentioned: “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.
Today’s decision to cancel the hydrogen heating trial in Whitby is a triumph of common sense over industry greenwash
“So they have to make sure that people are fully informed and not giving consent based on partial or poor information.”
Alice Harrison, fossil fuels marketing campaign chief at Global Witness, mentioned: “Hydrogen does have a role to play in decarbonising our industry but it would be a disaster as a source of home heating – it’s explosive, expensive and it’s much worse for the climate than alternatives like heat pumps.
“With the Whitby trial now out of the question, the Government must now do the same with Redcar and end the disastrous hydrogen trials.”
An NGN spokesperson mentioned: “We completed over 10 months of consultation in Redcar, including an independent survey which found 95% of residents and landlords felt positive or were neutral about our proposal.
“We also held a public meeting, conducted by an independent research company and the feedback was included in our proposal, which was submitted to Government.
“We entirely understand that there may be concerns about the move to hydrogen and electricity. Our door is always open, and we continue to actively encourage anyone with questions or reservations to come and speak to us at our ‘Hydrogen Hub’ on the High Street.”
“The Government is currently reviewing our project proposal before setting out next steps.”
PA has contacted DESNZ for remark.
