Fears hydrogen heating systems could BLOW UP houses as safety concerns emerge
The scheme is set to be rolled out in Redcar
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A row has broken out about hydrogen heating in homes, with fears of explosions.
Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has been criticised over safety measures relating to plans to supply 2,000 homes with hydrogen for heating and cooking.
Experts said that potential participants to the scheme in in Redcar, North Yorkshire have not been provided with enough information.
NGN said they will comply with all safety measures for the scheme.
Redcar is where the scheme is being trailed
PA
The scheme also involves installing hydrogen detectors in homes. The experiment is seen as the last chance to prove whether hydrogen heating can work in the UK.
However, there have been concerns about safety as hydrogen is easier to ignite and is more prone to leaking than natural gas. Homes will have to undergo some changes in order for it to be installed.
Energy consultant and fellow at the Institution of Chemical Engineers Tom Baxter said that hydrogen could ignite just by switching on a light or burning a candle.
Ministers have said they will only go ahead with the Redcar scheme if it has support from the community.
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Hydrogen would be used for heating and cooking
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Early safety assessments recommended that homes should have holes drilled in their walls in order to prevent the gas leaking and setting alight
NGN said that this was unnecessary and instead proposed using high-tech sensors to find leaks.
Independent energy analyst Michael Liebreich said: "They were never properly told about the original safety case for the trial and are now being asked to consent without a new safety case having been published."
He added that people were not given information about what was going to happen to their houses.
The gas network also told Redcar residents they would not need vents and dismissed fears about explosions as "misinformation".
Chief executive of NGN Mark Horsley said: "There is absolutely no scenario in which we would ever install a product in anyone's home or community that compromised their safety."
An NGN spokesperson said: "As a responsible gas network, safety is always our number one priority and we have decades of experience safely and reliably delivering gas.
"The project will not go ahead without the UK's independent safety regulator, the HSE, being satisfied."
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