Officials ‘resist’ Boris Johnson’s hydrogen energy plans

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Boris Johnson’s plans to make the UK the ‘Qatar of Hydrogen’ could be ‘torpedoed by officials’ who have ‘made a bet’ on clean electricity to supply the country’s energy to itself. keeping away from fossil fuels

  • Boris Johnson said he wants to make the UK the energy of “Qatar of hydrogen”
  • But officials are said to be opposed to the Prime Minister’s hydrogen plans
  • Whitehall would have “made a bet” on clean electricity at the expense of hydrogen










Officials could torpedo Boris Johnson’s plans to make Britain the “Qatar of hydrogen”, it was claimed today.

The government is studying how gaseous hydrogen could be used to power the country as it moves away from fossil fuels.

But Whitehall officials would resist the switch to hydrogen because they have “made a bet” on clean electricity instead.

Officials could torpedo Boris Johnson’s plans to turn Britain into ‘hydrogen Qatar’, it was claimed today

The government is studying how gaseous hydrogen could be used to power the country as it moves away from fossil fuels.  A hydrogen fuel cell truck is pictured in Lucerne, Switzerland in October last year

The government is studying how gaseous hydrogen could be used to power the country as it moves away from fossil fuels. A hydrogen fuel cell truck is pictured in Lucerne, Switzerland in October last year

Hydrogen is manufactured as a clean alternative to fossil fuels for industry, trucks and other uses.

It could go through the UK’s gas pipeline network to heat homes with new compatible boilers.

Hydrogen can be made in two ways. So-called “green” hydrogen is made from electricity produced from renewable sources while “blue” hydrogen is created from natural gas.

Government sources told the Sunday Telegraph that ministers must “push back†officials who oppose the “blue†hydrogen route.

A source claimed that Cabinet Office officials refused to promote hydrogen as a viable alternative at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow because oil and gas giants like BP and Shell are investing in it.

A source close to the government told the newspaper that officials “made a bet several years ago on electricity” and were reluctant to turn to other forms of clean energy.

The source said: “Much of what the public service is doing now reinforces the decision it made years ago at the expense of hydrogen. But it is not the right horse.

The newspaper said there was no mention of the hydrogen in a 22-page document describing the government’s COP26 events.

Mr Johnson said in a speech to business leaders earlier this month that he wanted the UK to become the “Qatar of hydrogen”.

Craig Mackinlay, leader of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group conservative MPs, said: “I would have thought that hydrogen would have been more than it is the cornerstone of the COP26 offer. He seems to have been sidelined entirely.

A source from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the government is committed to pursuing hydrogen as part of the UK’s clean energy plans.

A government spokesperson said: “Our hydrogen strategy outlines a clear ‘two-track’ approach to supporting several technologies, including ‘green’ electrolytic hydrogen production and ‘blue’ hydrogen production. allowing carbon capture.

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