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‘Lab rat’ fears in town where boilers will be ripped out to reach net zero

Cost and safety concerns abound among community taking part in trial to test the viability of hydrogen

By Emma Gatten in Ellesmere Port

At the hydrogen experience centre, residents of Ellesmere Port can be among the first in the world to flip a pancake on a hydrogen gas hob. Both the hob and the hydrogen fires in the corner of the mock-up kitchen are prototypes, retrofitted to give residents a feeling of hydrogen use.

It is not just for show. This Cheshire community of roughly 2,000 households is one of two in the running to take part in a trial to test the viability of the fuel as an alternative to natural gas, alongside Redcar in Teesside. That means the gas grid will be converted in 2025 and homes must change boilers, gas hobs and fires.

The plans, in the Whitby district of Ellesmere Port, are part of a drive to decarbonise heating, which accounts for 14 per cent of UK carbon emissions, ahead of an expected ban on new gas boilers by 2035.

Proposed legislation will give gas distribution networks the power to enter homes and switch them over as a “last resort” if they refuse hydrogen or an alternative. Residents who do not want to switch to hydrogen will be offered electric heat pumps.

The trials are being run by the local gas distribution networks, Cadent and SGN, backed and funded by Ofgem, the regulator, and the Department for Business through levies on consumer bills, including £9million for the initial bidding stage. Ofgem is set to make a decision on which area will become the first hydrogen “village” in the first half of next year.

However, there is growing concern in Whitby over safety, disruption and cost implications. At the Whitby Sport and Social Club, residents gather to discuss some of their concerns as Cadent’s campaign grows. “We are being used as lab rats and guinea pigs,” said Kate Grannell, a data analyst with a young family.

“The first residents knew of this project was a letter dumped through our doors in May of this year,” said Keith Lewington, a retired computer programmer who has lived in the area for 39 years. “That was it. There has still been no consultation, no public consultation whatsoever.”

Cost is paramount among the concerns raised. Cadent and Ofgem both say households will be protected from any energy price hikes during the trial, but have not committed beyond that two-year period. Estimates from the department suggest that in 2030, green hydrogen could cost more than double pre-crisis gas.

Other concerns include the lack of hydrogen-trained engineers for repairs and the impact on insurance premiums and house prices. Some residents have had trouble selling their homes, or put off plans to move since the prospect of the trial was raised. Cadent also hopes to offer like-for-like appliance replacement but this will depend on the manufacturers, which leaves residents concerned about the aesthetic impact on their kitchens.

“I feel as though my home has been requisitioned for an experiment. For no benefit at all, for me,” said Pat Rose, who retired to a bungalow in the town two years ago. “I’ve had awful mental health problems in the past. And I am scared that this will make me ill.”

Safety is also a concern, despite assurances the Health and Safety Executive will sign off on the trial before it goes ahead. Hydrogen, which can be made with methane or via electrolysis, is significantly more explosive than natural gas.

A Government-backed report last year found that while hydrogen in the home could cause four times as many injuries and explosions, the impact could be mitigated with additional safety measures. But a report in September, from the Royal Academy of Engineering, said there were still unanswered questions about the safety of supply to homes.

More than anything, residents feel powerless. The local MP, Labour’s Justin Madders, initially supported the trial but now says it shouldn’t go ahead without a clear majority support.

Residents are calling for independent advisers to help them wade through the information given out by Cadent. In audio of a visit to one of the residents passed to The Daily Telegraph, a Cadent representative can be heard dismissing concerns over air pollution, cost and safety. The Cadent representative says hydrogen boilers will emit less nitrous oxides, a harmful pollutant. But he omits to mention the heightened risk from hydrogen hobs.

The gas distribution network has been on a charm offensive in the town, creating a £20,000 grant for local community groups, and offering advice to job seekers in local schools. They plan to offer participants up to £750 to fund insulation or, alternatively, a cash payout of around £400.

Ministers say they are keeping an

open mind on hydrogen to heat homes. In a recent Telegraph interview Grant Shapps, the Business Secretary, said hydrogen was the “big question” when it comes to cutting home emissions.

Craig Mackinlay, chair of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of Tory MPS, said trials in Ellesmere Port are a potentially expensive “greenwash” exercise. “The vast infrastructure and householder cost, safety concerns and limitation of supply, particularly if ‘blue’ hydrogen is the option, requiring carbon capture and natural gas as a feedstock, is a clear non-starter,” he said.

“Hydrolysis produced ‘green’ hydrogen requires vast inputs of electricity that simply is not available resulting in higher energy costs per kwh ... as with so much nonsense we’re seeing across the path to net zero, the CO2 balance sheet is often worse than what it is attempting to replace,” he added.

A Business Department spokesman said: “The Health and Safety Executive will review safety evidence for the trial and no trials will take place until safety assessments have been carried out.”

A spokesman for Cadent said: “We take the safety of consumers and our employees very seriously and the use of hydrogen in the home will need to be approved by the same rigorous processes and standards that are set today for natural gas.”

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2022-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

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