The trial on 11 September at Centrica’s Brigg Energy Park in North Lincolnshire saw a 3% hydrogen blend used in the plant for a one-hour run.

Hydrogen was produced on site by start-up Hiiroc’s thermal plasma electrolysis technology, which uses plasma torches to split methane into hydrogen and solid carbon black.

Centrica said the trial demonstrated that existing gas infrastructure can operate reliably on a hydrogen blend to provide lower-carbon electricity to the UK grid, as it looks to develop more hydrogen-ready gas power plants.

Earlier this year, the UK energy firm inked a £20bn ($27.3bn), 10-year deal to import natural gas from Equinor with an option to switch volumes to hydrogen.

Martin Scargill, Managing Director of Centrica Energy Storage, said hydrogen would have a role in meeting the UK government’s ambitious Clean Power 2030 target of seeing all UK power demand met entirely by clean or low-carbon sources.

However, critics argue that using clean hydrogen, produced through either renewable electricity or natural gas with some form of carbon capture, will be expensive and inefficient compared with other decarbonisation options.