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May 07, 2023

UK ministers float plan for ‘hydrogen

BEIS says strategy will reduce replacement costs but cautions there is no

BEIS says strategy will reduce replacement costs but cautions there is no guarantee homes will ultimately run on the gas

Ministers are considering requiring that all new domestic boilers be "hydrogen-ready" from 2026, as they announced £100m for nuclear and hydrogen projects.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a consultation on improving boiler standards, and has argued there is a strong case for introducing hydrogen-ready boilers in the UK from 2026.

The government is examining options to replace polluting fossil fuel gas in Britain's energy system and has offered grants for households to install heat pumps.

A ban on gas boilers in new homes comes into force in 2025, although uncertainty remains over the timeframe for the phase-out of fossil gas in existing homes.

Hydrogen-ready boilers are initially installed to burn fossil gas but then can be easily converted to operate on hydrogen by an engineer.

The consultation document argues that the strategy will reduce "the costs associated with scrapping natural gas-only boilers before the end of their useful life".

"Mandating hydrogen-ready boilers will give industry the confidence to prepare supply chains to ensure the benefits of the potential transition are maximised," officials said.

However, they cautioned that there is no guarantee that boilers will ultimately be converted to run on hydrogen.

While hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in the decarbonisation of heavy industry and the transport network, opinion is split on the practicality of using it in Britain's gas network and the resulting cost to households.

Plans for a pilot to examine the effectiveness of using hydrogen have met local opposition in Whitby, outside Ellesmere Port, where residents have expressed concerns over becoming "lab rats".

The consultation, which closes in late March, will also examine the cost of hydrogen-ready boilers. "The government needs confidence that consumers will not face a premium for their purchase," it said.

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Separately on Tuesday, the government announced £77m of funding to aid nuclear fuel production and develop nuclear reactors, and £25m for technologies that can produce hydrogen from sustainable biomass and waste, while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Late last month, the government committed £700m to the Sizewell C nuclear power station project in Suffolk. A search for further investors into the development, which is led by France's EDF, is ongoing.

The funding includes up to £60m for the next phase of research into high temperature gas reactors, with a target of using them by the early 2030s.

The energy and climate minister, Graham Stuart, said: "This funding package will strengthen our energy security, by ensuring we have a safe and secure supply of domestic nuclear fuel services, while also creating more UK jobs and export opportunities."