Between energy transition and industrial revival: Exploring hydrogen imaginaries in the United Kingdom and Teesside

Abstract

Hydrogen is increasingly positioned as a key enabler of global net-zero transitions, hailed for its versatility and low-carbon emissions potential. Yet hydrogen's nascent future is contested, with divergent visions of its role across technological, political and geographical contexts. In this paper, we employ the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries (STIs) to explore the emergence and interaction of two hydrogen STIs in the United Kingdom: a national imaginary promoted by the British state through energy policies and a regional vision centred on Teesside in Northeast England, shaped by the local industrial legacy, incumbent actors and existing industrial infrastructures. We do so by drawing on three strands within the STI literature—emerging imaginaries, national–regional dynamics and the role of materialities in shaping energy futures—to examine how these STIs co-produce hydrogen futures with political strategies, existing infrastructures and socio-economic agendas. We find that the national imaginary envisions hydrogen as a novel, flexible and frictionless decarbonisation solution—a scalable energy carrier enabling a smooth transition to net zero while sustaining current market norms and lifestyles. In contrast, Teesside's regional imaginary is grounded in place-based assets, legacy infrastructure and a broader strategy of industrial renewal. It prioritises rapid deployment and favours blue hydrogen as a cost-effective, near-term option. Our analysis reveals a tension between the national vision's speculative openness and Teesside's materially grounded trajectory. While the national STI embraces ambiguity to keep options open, the regional imaginary anchors hydrogen in fossil-based industrial infrastructures and economic realities. We argue that hydrogen imaginaries (and transitions) are shaped not just by technical potential but by power-laden materialities—such as infrastructure ownership and resource dependencies—that stabilise or contest competing energy futures.