The UK government has scrapped plans for a hydrogen heating trial in the Whitby area of Ellesmere Port after local residents raised objections. The trial was proposed by energy company Cadent and would have involved installing hydrogen boilers in around 2000 homes. However, homeowners expressed concerns about safety, efficiency and costs compared to natural gas or electric heat pumps.

Lord Callanan confirmed on Tuesday that Whitby would no longer be considered for the UK’s first “hydrogen village” trial due to lack of local support. However, discussions continue about a similar proposed trial by Northern Gas Networks in Redcar, Teesside.

Some Whitby residents said they felt like “lab rats” and were uneasy about their natural gas being replaced with pure hydrogen from 2025. Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, commented:

“This decision has been inevitable for some time and I hope the government and gas networks will learn from the mistakes that have been made in this process. It is clear that asking people to try experimental new forms of energy consumption for their homes will not work unless basic questions about safety, efficacy and cost can be answered from the start.

“It is also clear that leaving people with the impression that this was happening without their consent sent entirely the wrong message out about how we need to tackle climate change.”

While Whitby will not host the trial, Cadent said the information gained would still help shape how the UK heats homes and businesses in future. The government is likely to progress with the proposed Redcar hydrogen trial instead, according to Cadent.

In a statement, Cadent said: “We know that this will be disappointing to the many residents who told us they wanted their community to play a pioneering role in decarbonising how we heat our homes in the UK. We are incredibly grateful to everyone in Whitby who has given us their time and attention over the last year as we have developed our proposal.”

Commenting on the announcement, Clare Jackson, chief executive of Hydrogen UK, stated that although disappointed with the outcome of the Whitby trial, the trade association remains committed to working with the government on its hydrogen policy.

“With increased transparency and public understanding, we believe that hydrogen will be welcomed by communities across the UK. We look forward to hearing more from the government on next steps for the Redcar trial,” Jackson said.

Announcing on Twitter, Lord Callahan said:

Justin Madders MP replied on Twitter: