The H100 trial in Fife is using new hydrogen gas pipes to trial the technology but any national roll-out would rely on the existing gas grid.
More than 600 leaks have been reported in the immediate area surrounding the world’s first hydrogen heating project, official documents reveal.
Almost 300 homes are to be connected via new hydrogen gas pipes in the first-of-its-kind H100 Fife project, run by SGN.
But evidence obtained by freedom of information shows 627 leaks have been reported in the existing gas network in the KY8 postcode, covering both Buckhaven and Denbeath.
Experts say the number of leaks shows it would be “inherently risky” to pump hydrogen through the grid due to its explosive properties.
David Cebon, professor of mechanical engineering at Cambridge University, said: “The key question is whether hydrogen can be delivered safely through the existing gas network.
“Hydrogen leaks far faster than methane, ignites more easily, is more explosive and can weaken metal pipework over time – meaning defects tolerable for natural gas can become serious fire and explosion hazards.
“In the Fife trial, this safety question is not even being tested because hydrogen will be supplied through new hydrogen-resistant pipes rather than the ageing network that would be used in any national rollout.
“Given the many methane leaks already recorded locally, it is difficult to see how a system and network operator that struggles to contain methane could safely contain hydrogen.”
The UK and Scottish governments have spent £25million of taxpayers’ cash on the scheme.
John Swinney has hailed it as a “shining example” of net zero policy. But last month Whitehall officials admitted they no longer favour hydrogen-powered homes.
Critics say backing for these schemes from the public purse has followed intense lobbying from fossil fuel interests. Two similar hydrogen homes trials in England were discontinued after local protests.
The H100 Fife area is classed as one of the ten most deprived areas in Scotland, with SGN offering £1000 to householders who agree to install hydrogen boilers in their homes.
There were 5,889 gas leaks across all Fife postcodes over a between November 2023 and October 2025 – with the second highest number in the trial region.
Of the 1202 repairs on pipes carried out in Fife during the period, 40 per cent were steel pipes. Experts warn steel pipes are susceptible to becoming brittle and cracking when exposed to hydrogen.
Around a fifth of repairs were on iron pipes, which are a legacy of coal gas and typically much older and vulnerable to failure and leakage.
SGN said the 627 figure is misleading as it refers to reports of leaks. It said 179 leaks needed repairs.
The firm added: “Over the past three decades, we have consistently invested in maintaining and upgrading the gas network, including replacing ageing iron pipes which has reduced gas leakage by around a third since 2013.
“Over 400 households in Buckhaven and Denbeath have registered an interest in joining our pioneering trial at H100 Fife, which will go live later this year.
“H100 Fife will use a purpose-built modern plastic network to distribute green hydrogen for safe use in homes. It will provide key insights and data on the customer transition to low-carbon energy sources.”
Scottish Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said in October that H100 Fife “will inform UK Government decisions on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heat using the gas network”.
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