The BH2C, present at the European Hydrogen Week.
Jointly organised by Hydrogen Europe, the European Commission and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the ‘European Hydrogen Week’ is one of the main events in the sector, attracting more than 9,000 attendees, 200 speakers and 220 exhibitors. As last year, the BH2C was well represented at this edition by H2Site and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), with their own stand, and the Energy Cluster, EVE, Sener and Tekniker, who attended the event as visitors. The event was also attended by Sara Moya, a chemical engineer from Sener, who was awarded by the BH2C the prize for the best academic performance in the latest edition of the Inter-University Master's Degree in Hydrogen. Also of note at the event was the presence of the FCH2RAIL project, led by CAF, which won the ‘Best Innovation Award 2024’.
The main conclusions drawn from this year's business sessions revolved around the need to develop underground hydrogen storage, to ensure improved links between hydrogen and the energy sector, to interconnect stakeholders across value chains, to support FIDs to build the infrastructure we need, and to provide adequate financial support for assets such as electrolysers, which can bring flexibility to the grid.
At the high-level policy conference, the most critical message was on the issue of global trade and the fact that external partners find the rules for competing and entering Europe too complex, which sets the bar too high and undermines the definitive take-off of the sector. The certification and standardisation of hydrogen products is crucial for the creation of an international commodity market, and the digital product passport is essential for transparency and trust in international hydrogen trade. In Europe, we are seeing that large projects are reaching the final investment decision (FID) stage, although the pace with which FIDs are taken is slower than the industry expected. However, the fact that the ambitious REPowerEU targets are not being met does not mean that the market is not progressing.
The next European Hydrogen Week will be held from 29 September to 3 October 2025 in Brussels.
