Hydrogen UK report calls for viable hydrogen network by 2030

A new industry report  calls for a coordinated, national hydrogen transport strategy to support the UK’s decarbonisation and path to Net Zero.

The Hydrogen Transport Benchmarking report, undertaken by Hydrogen UK and its members, makes three key recommendations to ensure the successful implementation of hydrogen within the UK transport sector.

The first is to publish a Hydrogen in Transport strategy cutting across all modes of transport enabling synergies to be identified and built upon.

The second is to establish a minimum viable network of 200, >1 tonne per day capacity, hydrogen refuelling stations by 2030.

And the third is to ensure the rollout of more hydrogen ecosystems like the Tees Valley project which attempt to aggregate various hydrogen demands to de-risk supply investment.

The report presents a high-level overview of the UK’s current global position, benchmarking our hydrogen transport deployment and hydrogen related transport policies against other international economies. It is intended to act as a springboard for further analysis and spark debate with key Government and industry stakeholders.

Throughout 2023, the Hydrogen UK Transport Working Group will be exploring various topics, including helping shape policy in areas where hydrogen is an emerging and promising transport solution (construction equipment, aviation, maritime and commercial vehicles).
 
Announcing the report’s publication, Hydrogen UK’s CEO Clare Jackson said: “We’re at an exciting juncture in the deployment of hydrogen as an essential component in the UK’s path to Net Zero. We know that hydrogen has a critical role to play in the decarbonisation of transport and this report highlights the importance of implementing a national hydrogen transport strategy. The UK Government and hydrogen industry must respond to ensure that we capitalise on the opportunities presented by this critical resource, which will help to drive the decarbonisation of our transport sector.”
 
Allan Rushforth, Chief Commercial Officer at First Hydrogen, said:  “It’s valuable that Hydrogen UK has gathered input from industry participants who are on the operational front-line and can provide an accurate view of the challenges and opportunities hydrogen adoption presents. The UK urgently needs to develop a national Hydrogen Transport strategy if it wants to deliver the opportunities of job creation and economic growth that the sector offers. Successful deployment requires coordination between transport networks and energy production, together with a combination of H2 refuelling on trunk roads and at zero emission fleet depots. Without this, hydrogen ecosystems such as Tees Valley and urban Ultra Low Emission Zones will not deliver the potential boost to regional and national growth, or indeed net zero target achievement, that can be achieved with greater engagement from Government.”