UK gas distribution company SGN has completed a “world first” domestic hydrogen gas network in Levenmouth as part of its H100 Fife project.
The £32 million trial will provide green hydrogen for domestic use to homes in Buckhaven and Denbeath using an 8.4km pipeline network.
An SGN spokesperson said the network will run past just over a thousand homes in the area, with around 300 households previously expressing interest in the trial.
As part of the project, residents can sign up to have their boilers and radiators replaced to run on hydrogen to decarbonise their home heating and cooking.
The green hydrogen supplied to the H100 network will be produced by electrolysis using electricity from a dedicated 7 MW offshore wind turbine.
SGN estimates the project will save the equivalent of 2,208kg of CO2 per household each year, and around 3,000 tonnes over its lifetime.
H100 Fife distribution manager Max Biret thanked the “trust, patience and cooperation” of the Levenmouth community while the project is delivered.
© Supplied by SGN“Having this new network in place means we can start converting customers to green hydrogen once our production and storage site is ready next year,” Biret said.
“We’re still welcoming more customers to join if you live in the network area. We’ll support you every step of the way through your energy transition.”
Alongside delivering the pipeline network, SGN is working to upskill local gas engineers as well as partnering with Fife College to open a hydrogen training facility in 2025.
SMART Utilities construction manager Stuart Russel was part of the team that installed the new network in Fife, and will soon begin connecting participating homes.
“I was born and bred in Fife and feel very proud to be delivering this world first green energy project for the local community,” he said.
© Supplied by SGNHydrogen for home heating doubts
The company said the H100 Fife trial will provide “critical evidence” to support future policy decisions on hydrogen for home heating.
It comes after similar village trials in the English villages of Whitby and Redcar were scrapped following community pushback.
Following the Redcar decision, the UK government decided to delay a hydrogen heating town pilot scheme until 2026.
The delay, alongside the increasing adoption of heat pumps and heat networks, has cast further doubt over the role of hydrogen in decarbonising home heating in the UK.
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