The North West Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) has called for the urgent creation of a UK hydrogen strategy and set out priorities for the strategy to include, to ensure the UK keeps its competitive advantage.
On 11 September, the NWHA wrote to the Hydrogen Advisory Council – launched by BEIS last month – calling for a hydrogen strategy to form part of the post-COVID economic recovery. Such a strategy would coordinate the development and funding of hydrogen projects across the country, the NWHA explained, before setting out its recommendations for what it should include.
It said that the strategy should have a clear investment framework for hydrogen production, distribution, storage and fuel switching, which includes financial incentives and a resourced, robust and consistent regulatory framework, as well as development of a world leading hydrogen sector supply chain to support the hydrogen economy in the UK, ensuring it becomes an “export powerhouse”.
The NWHA also highlighted further funding into commercial scale demonstration projects for hydrogen use in all sectors – including domestic, transport, power and industrial – to build consumer confidence and show hydrogen is deliverable, affordable and crucial to the climate response as a priority, along with the development of a comprehensive and coordinated skills roadmap. This would dovetail with a National Workforce Plan focused on clean growth, to ensure that the UK does not lose the multi-billion-pound hydrogen opportunity and import skills from elsewhere.
