Comment on UK Hydrogen Strategy

Commenting on the UK’s Hydrogen Strategy, Jess Ralston, Analyst at Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “A strong hydrogen economy in the UK could cement our place as a green industrial leader if the right action is taken early. The fuel could be very valuable for cleaning up steel production and protecting jobs in this industry – crucial when Europe is already steaming ahead with 23 hydrogen steel plants when we have none. But some questions remain over whether the government has truly grasped which areas will be most suitable for hydrogen use and which will not.

“For example the case for hydrogen for home heating is far from proven, particularly hydrogen derived from fossil gas rather than from renewable energy. After all, any remaining fossil gas with a hydrogen blend in the grid is just not compatible with net zero and it’s not yet clear how effective hydrogen will be, nor how much it will cost.

“The government should also be alive to the risk of gas industry lobbying causing it to commit too heavily to blue hydrogen and so keeping the country locked into fossil fuel based technology, making reaching net zero more difficult and costly. Instead, focussing on green hydrogen could unlock the our full industrial potential, bringing with it lifelong jobs in places like the North East, supporting both the government’s climate goals and its levelling up ambitions.”