UK Hydrogen Champion Report stresses need for clarity

The UK Hydrogen Champion Report, released on Wednesday, makes recommendations to address the need for more clarity on policy and funding.

The report was produced by Jane Toogood, who in July 2022 was appointed as the UK Hydrogen Champion, a role of an independent advisor. She is also the chief executive of catalyst technologies at Johnson Matthey and co-chair of the Hydrogen Advisory Council.

Do you know we have a daily hydrogen newsletter? Subscribe here for free!

The paper contains two sets of recommendations aimed at speeding up the hydrogen economy -- to the government and to the industry.

The first piece of advice to the government is to kickstart investment by overcoming barriers to deliver the first carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)-enabled and electrolytic hydrogen production projects at scale. This covers setting dates for pending final Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) and Hydrogen Production Business Model (HPBM) project decisions.

Further recommendations include providing a clear scale-up plan across the UK regions; stimulating demand in blending, heating and transport; and creating a plan for integrated energy infrastructure. The fifth and final recommendation to the government is to provide an integrated plan for implementing the Hydrogen Strategy to 2030, building on the existing roadmap.

The industry is urged to work closely with the government to tackle problems or make voluntary commitments to deliver UK content, assess the scale of the economic opportunity of hydrogen and work on skills development.

The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) welcomed the report.

“The Hydrogen Champion Report highlights the need for greater clarity on upcoming policy decisions for hydrogen users, funding available, and overall delivery of the hydrogen roadmap to 2030 and beyond. This is something that the REA has been calling for, and industry urgently needs,” said the organisation's director of policy Frank Gordon.