黑洞社区

The government鈥檚 decision to support heat pumps over hydrogen in last month鈥檚 heat and buildings strategy was a mistake, the Conservative mayor for Teesside has said.

Ben Houchen told 黑洞社区 that officials had 鈥渇undamentally got it wrong鈥� by believing that it is not possible to safely pump hydrogen through the existing gas network.

He said that trials being carried out in Teesside are proving this untrue but that the government was instead 鈥減laying it safe鈥�.

The strategy set out how the UK鈥檚 30 million buildings will be decarbonised as part of the government鈥檚 goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

It provided 拢5,000 grants for homeowners to install electric heat pumps but deferred any decision on what role hydrogen will play until 2026 while tests are carried out to determine whether it can be safely used in gas boilers.

Asked if he was disappointed with the document, Houchen said: 鈥淭he short answer is yes.鈥�

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The 34-year old mayor, who was re-elected with 73% of the vote in May鈥檚 local elections and is considered a rising star in the Tory party, is credited with driving a huge expansion of net zero industry in the North-east of England.

He blamed officials for not being 鈥渙pen鈥� to alternatives technologies for the strategy鈥檚 focus on heat pumps, saying: 鈥淢y view is that too many civil servants six or seven years ago decided to go all-in on electric. 

鈥淎nd what you鈥檝e actually found over the last five or six years is, it feels to me, like there鈥檚 a reinforcement of that decision on every piece of work that happens.鈥�

Houchen said that the government鈥檚 caution on hydrogen, which he argued would be a much cheaper solution to decarbonising buildings than heat pumps, risks 鈥渟tymying鈥� investment in production of the gas.

He also said the ban on gas boilers in newbuild homes from 2025 was 鈥渨rong鈥� because hydrogen could be used in upgraded boilers costing only 拢100 more than a traditional boiler.

Air source heat pumps, which absorb heat from the air, currently cost around 拢10,000, while ground source heat pumps, which absorb heat from underground, can cost up to 拢35,000.

Houchen said he 鈥渇requently鈥� speaks about hydrogen to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who the mayor said is a 鈥渂ig believer in the gas鈥�.

But according to Houchen, the minister told him that 鈥渁ll I can do is act on the advice and the evidence that my officials are giving me鈥� when asked why the government was not being more supportive of hydrogen. 

Teesside currently makes more than half of the UK鈥檚 supplies of hydrogen. Last month, green energy firm Protium confirmed plans to build a 40mw hydrogen production facility in the region, with construction set to complete by 2026.

In March, BP announced plans to build a 1gw hydrogen plant, which would be the UK鈥檚 largest, in Teesside by 2030.