Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of conducting multiple hydrogen village trials by 2025 to inform a policy decision on hydrogen for heating buildings by 2026.

As set out in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government is supporting industry to deliver community trials of 100% hydrogen heating. The Government and Ofgem have invited the Gas Distribution Network Operators to submit proposals for village trials by December 2021. The Government expect that at least one of these will be selected to develop more detailed proposals. Final decisions on where the trials will take place are expected to be taken in 2023.