Hydrogen Updates October 2023

Otto Simon • October 20, 2023

From the Hydrogen Industry Leader’s Breakfast, discussions at the North West Hydrogen Alliance’s Members Meeting, BCECA’s Energy Transformation Challenge Conference, and IGEM’s ‘Making Hydrogen Real’ Conference, here’s what’s been happening in the world of hydrogen.

With the UK Government’s recent rollback of various commitments to Net Zero, there has been a sense of uncertainty about the future of the UK’s Hydrogen Economy. However, Industry in the UK is still confident that Hydrogen will play an important role in the drive to achieve Net Zero, and particularly in the North West of England, there are plenty of exciting hydrogen projects in development.

Otto Simon has recently attended numerous events aimed at discussing the future of hydrogen in the UK and here’s a round-up from events in September and October 2023:

During the full members meeting in September, the North West Hydrogen Alliance hinted at findings of the on-going Hydrogen Demand Study. Their report will be issued soon and will form a vital part of planning for a future Hydrogen Economy.

The NWHA also launched plans for Hydrogen Week 2024, which will see industries, government and academia come together to platform hydrogen in February. Last year the event saw 6,300 individuals and 110 partners and supporters take part, and Otto Simon is looking forward to being involved in the event again next year.

Otto Simon also recently attended BCECA’s 3rd Annual Conference the topic of which this year focused on ‘the energy transformation challenge – making it a reality’. Held on 4th October 2023, the conference included keynote presentations from Lord Ravensdale and Energy Institute CEO Nick Wayth. Lord Ravensdale spoke about the long term challenge of energy transition, citing that historically it has taken 50-75 years to fully transition from one primary source of energy to another. He also pointed out that currently the world is still largely depending upon fossil fuels, which still account for 82% of global fuel use.

Challenges facing the development of UK hydrogen projects, including long planning phases (typically 15-20 months), hydrogen supply, and ensuring the right skillsets can be found for these novel projects, were discussed. It is apparent that these projects require more government support to ensure that the UK doesn’t lose out on global investments which is currently heading to the USA and Canada where these same uncertainties don’t apply.

During IGEM’s ‘Making Hydrogen Real’ Conference held on 18th October, IGEM members came together to look at how the industry can decarbonise the network and introduce hydrogen production and utilisation. The event included an address from keynote speaker Natascha Engel, Chief Executive of cross-party thinktank Palace Yard and ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, who provided an insight on the industry's response to a future hydrogen economy. Natacha Engel encouraged more involvement with local authorities and MPs, including advice on how to talk to MPs from her own experience of serving as a labour member of parliament.

IGEM spoke about their on-going work to update legislation and publish guidance to keep up with Hydrogen learnings. Currently, the IGEM/H/1 Reference Standard for low pressure hydrogen utilisation is being used as basis of the hydrogen (domestic) trials across the UK. IGEM discussed the upcoming hydrogen standards, H/2 and H/3, which will be published soon, and which are expected to cover the scope of the upstream and non-domestic utilisation.

Members from IGEM gave updates about their on-going and upcoming hydrogen projects, including steam methane reformers, and plans for hydrogen generators that can replace diesel generators. There were discussions about the challenges facing local authorities with agreeing strategies for achieving net zero, and concerns about the skills shortage amongst appropriate tradespeople in the UK that might impact the construction phases of these hydrogen projects.

Considering these challenges and the uncertainty surrounding the government’s position on Net Zero and the future of Hydrogen, it’s clear there is still a long way to go to secure a hydrogen economy in the UK. However, with numerous pending hydrogen projects awaiting full sanction and industry leaders continuing to champion the use of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels, Otto Simon remains optimistic about hydrogen’s role in the road to Net Zero.

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