12th July 2023

Important update on the proposed Whitby Hydrogen Village trial

Dear Resident,

We are writing to you with an important update on our proposals to deliver the Hydrogen Village trial in Whitby, Ellesmere Port.

Since last May, we’ve been working to understand the feasibility of delivering a hydrogen heating trial in Whitby from 2025. A trial has been proposed by Government to explore how low carbon hydrogen – an alternative to natural gas – could be used to heat homes in the future.

The Government has now informed us that Whitby is not the preferred proposal for the UK’s first Hydrogen Village trial. Whilst the Government has not yet made a final decision on the project location, it means that it is unlikely to choose Whitby as the location for the trial.

We are very grateful to all of those in the Whitby community who have allowed us into their homes and businesses to undertake surveys, visited us at the Hydrogen Experience Centre and attended events, and gave valuable feedback, as we progressed our plans for this important project. We recognise that a proposed change of this nature was significant for many residents and the views we have heard have been vital in understanding how local people feel about changing the way they heat their homes.

Importantly, although we know this news will be a disappointment to the many people in Whitby who told us they wanted to play a role in in this pioneering programme, we would like to reassure you that our work in Whitby has not been wasted and the data gathered over the past year and the contributions made by you will play an invaluable role in exploring how we can heat homes and businesses in a more environmentally friendly way in the future.

We will continue our work to ensure that the low carbon heating solutions of the future work for our customers and their needs. Beyond a final decision from Government on the project location in the Autumn, we remain committed to keeping our customers here in Whitby safe, warm, and connected as your gas distribution network.

We would like to invite you to give feedback in a further research questionnaire. We will be in touch shortly with details of how to participate. The views of Whitby residents on hydrogen for homes are still important to the data and evidence government is capturing.

If you would like to understand more about this announcement, what it means for you, and future opportunities to share your views, you can still visit us at the Hydrogen Experience Centre or get in touch with us using the details at the bottom of this letter.

Yours faithfully

Marc Clarke,                                                                  Tim Green,

Head of Hydrogen Consumer, Cadent               Head of Hydrogen Customer Experience, British Gas