Overcoming growing pains in the UK's hydrogen sector

According to Clare Jackson, CEO of Hydrogen UK, delivering hydrogen projects can be likened to a game of Whac-A-Mole and in this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, she explains why.

Hydrogen projects are easy to announce, but difficult to deliver, with early enthusiasm often giving way to the practical work of securing permits, financing, and securing infrastructure and regulatory approvals. Every hurdle exposes the next one, she explains. A project may overcome financing, only to face planning delays, for example.

However, says Jackson, this situation is not evidence that hydrogen has failed or that the sector has entered a repetitive cycle with no hope of growth. Rather, it reflects the complexity of building an entirely new energy sector, where technical, financial, regulatory and market challenges must all be addressed before projects become operational. And more importantly, it reflects a maturing sector moving from hype to execution.

Jackson emphasises that hydrogen, alongside carbon capture and electrification, will play a critical role in building a resilient, low-carbon energy system, if we can shift hydrogen through these “awkward teenage years”.