Hydrogen Heating Trial in Redcar Cancelled Amid Supply Issues and Local Backlash

The UK government will decide in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in household heat decarbonisation, examining evidence from ongoing trials.

Claire Coutinho, the Energy Secretary, has cancelled a trial of hydrogen heating in Redcar due to difficulties acquiring hydrogen supplies and backlash from local residents.
The cancellation of the Redcar trial follows a similar cancellation in Whitby, dealing a blow to gas companies' ambitions to prove hydrogen-powered heating can be practically rolled out.
The government will decide in 2026 whether, and if so how, hydrogen will contribute to household heat decarbonisation, examining evidence from an ongoing smaller trial in Fife and other experiments across Europe.
Residents who opposed the scheme raised concerns about safety, cost, and the ability to opt out of any trial, arguing they did not want to be forced to give up their current gas heating.
Despite the cancellation, the government is backing 11 projects across the UK to produce green hydrogen, through a process known as electrolysis.