More than 650 homes in Winlaton, near Newcastle, are set to become the first on the UK’s public gas grid to be partially heated by hydrogen later this year.
On 3 January, the Financial Times reported that up to 20% hydrogen will be blended into the natural gas network that serves the village in Gateshead during the first quarter of 2021. The trial, which will mark a key milestone in tests to see whether hydrogen can reduce the climate impact of buildings in the UK, forms part of the HyDeploy project, run by Cadent and Northern Gas Networks. It will cover 670 homes, including Winlaton’s church, primary school and several businesses and run for 10 months.
Northern Gas Networks runs the Winlaton network and has already carried out free gas safety checks for appliances in all the properties set to receive the blended gas.
Tim Harwood, Head of Programme Management at Northern Gas Networks, said: “The hydrogen blend is sort of a stepping stone towards a 100% world and it will teach us a lot about how we need to do things and also helping the public acceptance as well.”
