The UK Hydrogen Strategy: A Partner for Europe?

A roundtable discussion jointly organised by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS Potsdam) and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES)

on 13 October 2023, 11:00-12:30 CET/ 10:00-11:30 BST on Zoom

The UK is currently seeking to position itself as a technology leader in the global hydrogen economy by building demand for low-carbon hydrogen and products at home. The Hydrogen Strategy published in 2021 and updated in 2023 sets an ambitious target of 10 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, including both green and blue hydrogen.

So far, hydrogen has been largely missing from UK-EU cooperation on energy transition, despite progress in other important areas, such as offshore wind power development. While the UK participates in high-level fora on hydrogen and international standard-setting initiatives, the government is not actively coordinating or investing in hydrogen infrastructure that could connect it to Europe. At the regional level, however, Scotland is developing its own plans for exporting hydrogen and derivatives to the EU.

After the presentation of an analysis of the UK hydrogen strategy and comments by experts and government representatives from the EU and the UK, the roundtable will explore the following questions:

• What are the key priorities and drivers of the UK hydrogen policy?
• How does the UK hydrogen policy compare internationally?
• Is there potential for enhancing UK-EU cooperation on hydrogen and what are the challenges that need to be overcome?

You are warmly invited to join us online on 13 October 2023 to debate these issues with British and EU stakeholders.

Please register HERE

Agenda

Opening Remarks
Holger Klitzing, Head of Unit, Geopolitics of Energy Transition/ Hydrogen Diplomacy, German Federal Foreign Office

The UK Hydrogen Strategy: Falling Behind in the Green Race? (presentation of the RIFS Discussion Paper)
Silvia Weko, Research Associate, RIFS Potsdam

Discussion:
Martin Lambert, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Hydrogen Research, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES)

Carolyn Campbell, Head of Hydrogen Production Business Model Team, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), UK

Ruud Kempener, European Commission, Member of the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson

Q&A with the audience

Moderation
Yana Zabanova, Research Associate, RIFS Potsdam

More information:

• Silvia Weko, “The UK Hydrogen Strategy: Falling Behind in the Green Race?” RIFS Discussion Paper, July 2023
• Presentation by Silvia Weko: The UK Hydrogen Strategy

This event is part of the RIFS online discussion series featuring national hydrogen strategies in select European and global frontrunner countries. It is held within the framework of the Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: Implications of an International Hydrogen Economy project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.