Green hydrogen industry: Directory of European players

As part of the energy transition, green hydrogen (low-carbon and renewable) represents a high-potential market in which Europe is currently investing heavily.

Considered an energy of the future by the International Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen is set to play an important role in the transition to carbon neutrality in all industrial sectors. In the transport sector, fuel cells for electric vehicles are helping to reduce the use of diesel. In the energy sector, hydrogen can provide an electricity storage solution to offset the intermittent nature of renewable energies. Surplus electricity generated by solar and wind power is then used to produce dihydrogen (H ₂ ) by electrolysis of water, and the stored gas is then re-injected into gas networks. Beyond these new uses, hydrogen has many current applications, notably in the chemical (for ammonia synthesis) and steel (for steelmaking) industries, the main consumers.

At present, over 95% of hydrogen production is still of fossil origin, resulting in the emission of several million tonnes of CO ₂ into the atmosphere every year. The essential condition for the development of the various uses of hydrogen is that it be produced in a decarbonized way, i.e. mainly by electrolysis, using electricity whose production is itself decarbonized, or using "CCUS" devices (capture, storage and use of CO ₂ ).

Today, the context is particularly favorable to the development of a low-carbon, renewable hydrogen industry: at European level, the European Commission has authorized two major projects of common European interest ("PIIEC"). The first, Hy2Tech, covers a large part of the hydrogen technology value chain, while the second, Hy2Use, focuses on the deployment of hydrogen infrastructures and hydrogen applications in the industrial sector. For its part, France aims to become the leader in carbon-free hydrogen. In practice, this ambition translates into a total of 7 billion euros of public support up to 2030, following the deployment of the national strategy for the development of low-carbon hydrogen.

With growing interest in this developing "green" hydrogen sector, it seems important to draw up an inventory of the main key players in Europe. The players in this directory, available for download, are classified by type, by country, by sector, by business and by their role in the hydrogen value chain.