A recent public meeting in Redcar, Yorkshire, shed light on residents’ concerns regarding a proposed trial for using hydrogen gas as a heating source in their homes.
The gathering, attended by more than 80 local residents and 30 online listeners, emphasised the potential safety issues associated with this trial, which aims to include up to 1,800 homes.
Cambridge University Professor, David Cebon, told the meeting that he was surprised the Health and Safety Executive had not been asked to report on the safety aspects of the trial before a government decision was announced.
The professor of mechanical engineering said concerns needed to be tackled thoroughly: “Hydrogen collects in high places where lights are. It also has a much wider explosive range, so you can have a small or large amount and it will still go bang, whereas natural gas has to be in a narrow range.”
Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the company set to conduct the trial did not attend the meeting.
An NGN spokesperson told Energy Live News: “Ensuring people feel comfortable with the move to hydrogen or electricity is a priority, and we have worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to engage with and reassure residents and businesses, through drop-in sessions, door-knocking and a public meeting.
“We have a Hydrogen Hub on the High Street in Redcar open Tuesdays to Saturdays where customers are able to speak to us face to face and ask any questions they might have.
“We declined our invitation to attend last week’s meeting, largely because we have previously seen misinformation on our project being circulated in the community. This has originated from people who claim to be independent experts, but who have no prior track record of experience in gas network management or gas network safety.
“This misinformation can cause alarm and undue worry to residents and to attend would have given the impression the meeting was officially connected to the project.
“As the operator of the gas network safety is our number one priority and we will never compromise our safety record. The HSE also needs to be satisfied before the project can proceed.”
