The UK hydrogen sector has called for rapid investment, scaled deployment and long-term policy certainty at a recent conference.
The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) Conference saw the chief executive Dr Emma Guthrie state that it wasn’t a “future ambition – hydrogen is happening now”.
The conference welcomed a keynote address from Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State for Industry, who told delegates that hydrogen sits at the heart of two of the government’s most important missions: building a stronger economy and achieving energy independence.
She outlined progress under the Hydrogen Allocation Round scheme and praised the 27 projects approved under HAR2, while acknowledging the pressure for delivery.
Jones said:
“This is more than policy. It’s progress.”
“We’re at a critical point in the political and economic cycle, with the Spending Review ahead. That will determine how we invest for the future. I hope it reflects the scale of the opportunity – because it has to.”
SLR SLR Consulting’s Kim McCann added that the sector should “be focusing on exporting our knowledge” and Ethan Murray of Santander said forward thinking was also key.
Amanda Lyne, Chair of the HEA and MD of ULEMCo, and Hydrogen Europe’s Ivan Delibasic stressed that “policy must reflect projects on the ground – otherwise it’s just paperwork, not progress.”
Carlton Power’s Eric Adams praised progress but said the industry had to push harder, comparing the sector’s current output to the early years of Ford’s production line.
He said: “Henry Ford didn’t set up his production line to build one or two cars a year. In year one, he aimed for 2,000 units. By year 12, they were producing 9,000 to 10,000 a day. If you look at H1 projects, just 38 five-megawatt units are expected – and even H2 only adds 230 more. That’s nowhere near enough to build a sustainable supply chain.”
The National Wealth Fund’s Rajesh Kedia said hydrogen was a top investment priority and stressed the Fund’s commitment to flexible capital structures: “We’re not here to hand out grants. We’re here to invest commercially and deliver returns for UK taxpayers.”
In addition, Paro Konar, Director General for Major Decarbonisation Projects at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, who closed the conference with a message of commitment and partnership.
She said:
“A thriving hydrogen economy will create high-quality jobs, drive investment, and help secure a more resilient, low-carbon future for the UK.
“We want to see a hydrogen sector that fulfils its key role in delivering our clean energy superpower mission for the UK.”
Image courtesy of the HEA
