The emergence of global hydrogen trading From Hamburg to the world: EEHH attends the World Hydrogen Summit

Expert dialogue with the US hydrogen industry

In the run-up to the World Hydrogen Summit, several international delegations from countries such as Australia, Argentina, Colombia, Finland and Uruguay made a stopover in Hamburg on their journey to Rotterdam to acquire insight into the development of the hydrogen supply chain in the city and to establish bilateral business contacts with individual companies in the metropolitan region. EEHH members MB Energy, the Lother Group, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research, Hamburg Airport, European Energy, Siemens Energy, Quest One, Aurubis and H2Global were involved in various dialogue formats addressing the entire breadth of the hydrogen supply chain.

Amont the special events was a delegation visit from several US states, who travelled to Hamburg to learn more about the city as a hydrogen hub and also attended the first Germany–US Clean Hydrogen Demand Roundtable organised by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Center for Houston's Future as part of the U.S.-German Climate Energy Partnership (CEP). The aim was to bring clean hydrogen suppliers – primarily on the US Gulf Coast – together with German clean hydrogen customers, equipment manufacturers and other interested parties and to promote collaboration between US and German companies.

Discussions with the US delegation clearly revealed some frustration with the new Trump administration. Nevertheless, they still expressed the hope that not all of the Biden administration's measures would be withdrawn, as many companies and politicians see considerable potential for job creation in the development and expansion of climate protection measures.

Among the best examples is the development of the HyVelocity Hub on the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana, which is one of the US hydrogen hubs selected for funding by the previous administration. The hydrogen hub is intended to transform Houston into a major export centre for hydrogen derivatives. This will build on the current oil and gas infrastructure. Advocates of hydrogen hope to secure Houston's supremacy as the energy capital of the USA and at the same time give the old oil and gas companies the opportunity to harness existing resources and infrastructure for the production of a cleaner fuel.

The new hydrogen economy promises tens of thousands of jobs and the opportunity to virtually eliminate pollution. During the first funding phase, HyVelocity Hub received US$ 22 million of the total US$ 1.2 billion from the US Department of Energy in December 2024. But the recent spending freeze imposed by Washington on federal funding (IRA) for climate protection and environmentally friendly energy projects has brought considerable uncertainty in regard to the future development of a low-carbon hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen production with clear cross-platform technology

Discussions at the World Hydrogen Summit on trading hydrogen and its derivatives revealed that global hydrogen trading structures are now experiencing growth, with decentralised production sites and the associated value chain, for example in the areas of safety technology or compressors. Many projects were showcased, especially on the production side, which already possess capabilities to produce large quantities of hydrogen and derivatives in the short- (as early as the end of the decade) or medium term. The hydrogen hype that fuelled the market just a few years ago is over, and it is gradually becoming clear which projects and locations are actually making progress.

It was interesting to learn from a European and German perspective how other buyer markets such as Japan are establishing themselves and building their own hydrogen supply chain. The fact that “green” hydrogen is viewed as the panacea for the energy transition in Europe and Germany is largely irrelevant in the international context. Talks and discussions generally addressed low-carbon hydrogen. For example, Norwegian partners pointed out that thanks to state-of-the-art CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) technology, hydrogen produced in the country from natural gas can exhibit a better carbon footprint than “green” hydrogen produced in other parts of the world. To get the emerging market up and running, final investment decisions (FID) currently on the table primarily relate to projects for the production of "blue" hydrogen.

Some trade fair events included an appeal to politicians to focus initially on the development of intra-European hydrogen supply chains. This is in response to the considerable uncertainty associated with global geopolitical developments, which could potentially affect hydrogen supply chains.

Criticism of the strict EU regulations

The negative impacts on the hydrogen market caused by the strict EU rules enshrined in the Delegated Act on RED II were frequently highlighted, while discussions centred on how these rules need to be adapted in order to support market ramp-up without undermining the climate protection targets. With regard to the implementation of the RFNBO criteria (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) for industry and the transport sector in the individual EU member states, many participants emphasised that it was unrealistic, particularly in the industrial sector, to expect 42 percent of the hydrogen used by industry to come from renewable sources by 2030. Other participants called for a pragmatic legal framework, particularly for blue hydrogen and ammonia projects. Their concern here was to counter the potential risk of oversupply on the ammonia market at an early stage in the event that demand in the energy sector does not grow at a sufficient rate to absorb the rise in global production.

Highly international exhibition

Country pavilions from all over the world – including Australia, Canada, Brazil and South Korea – were represented at the trade fair held during the World Hydrogen Summit. Germany organised a large joint stand. Hamburg joined with four other federal states to promote the hydrogen map for northern Germany under the HY-5 brand. Several EEHH members attended the event either as exhibitors or trade visitors to learn more about industry trends, maintain their networks and identify new business partners.

During the World Hydrogen Summit, the Hamburg-based copper manufacturer Aurubis was honoured with the World Hydrogen Award in the Industrial Application category for its H2-ready anode furnaces. This type of technology enables the replacement of natural gas with hydrogen and reduces carbon emissions by up to 5,000 tonnes per year.