The Scottish Government has published Scotland’s first hydrogen export plan titled ‘A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland’s Hydrogen Potential – A Plan for Exports‘. Acting Energy Secretary, Gillian Martin unveiled the Plan during a visit to Hydrasun- a Hydrogen Scotland member who designs, makes and installs hydrogen refuellers and associated parts.
Announcing the Hydrogen Export Plan, Acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Hydrogen is one of Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunities since oil and gas were discovered, and we have the environment, skills, knowledge, and experience to become a driving force behind the growth of the hydrogen sector in Europe and beyond. This plan focuses on the significant international trade opportunities presented by hydrogen and sets out the key steps required to secure and maximise the economic benefits.”
The Hydrogen Export Plan outlines the targeted actions needed to secure Scotland as a key producer and exporter of renewable hydrogen by 2030. It shows the growth opportunities for businesses and investors, together with the potential to create green jobs in Scotland. The actions outlined in the Plan include:
- Evidencing the growing market demand across the UK and Europe for hydrogen and hydrogen products – to help attract investment in the production, transport and storage of hydrogen
- Developing Scotland’s domestic support chain, capabilities and skills – through regional hydrogen hubs and filling the gaps in hydrogen production, transport and storage
- Improving the infrastructure and systems around exporting hydrogen, including creating hydrogen storage facilities, aligning hydrogen regulation in Scotland with existing EU rules and exploring the viability of hydrogen pipelines from Scotland to mainland Europe and Ireland
- Working with current and potential hydrogen exporters to develop the international supply chain
Scotland, with its stable political system and established trading history, is in a good position to target export opportunities for supply chain goods and services in key overseas markets such as the existing key export markets United States, France and Germany and emerging markets identified as Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Norway, Denmark, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Namibia.
The Hydrogen Export Plan has been informed by two recent studies carried out for Scottish Enterprise by Hydrogen Scotland members Arup and Worley.
The Worley report on Scenarios for Clean Hydrogen Demand in Europe provides important insights into the emerging sources of demand for hydrogen in Europe and, critically, the assumptions behind this demand. The analysis by Worley focuses primarily on Northwest European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and England. It finds that most scenarios foresee industry as the primary off-taker sector in the early 2030s, with Germany and the Netherlands identified as critical markets likely to have the highest demand for hydrogen and hydrogen products over the short to medium term.
The international market assessment and prioritisation exercise by Arup identified a number of priority markets for the export of goods and services from the Scottish supply chain, alongside existing key export markets such as the EU and USA. This Assessment of Low-Carbon Hydrogen Supply Chain Export Opportunities shows that Egypt, Chile, India, Australia, Spain, and Morocco are key emerging opportunity markets, primarily driven by the size and scale of their hydrogen ambition, perceived likelihood of a gap in their domestic capabilities, and Scotland’s ability to capitalise on these opportunity areas through trade links and ease of doing business.
Dr Stuart Mitchell, Hydrogen Director at Hydrasun, a D2Zero Company, welcomed the Hydrogen Sector Export Plan: “We have a strong track record as an exporter, delivering hydrogen systems across Europe and Scandinavia. Our expanding footprint demonstrates the growing demand for Scottish hydrogen expertise overseas. Scotland’s proximity to key markets like Germany and the Netherlands provides the opportunity to be at the forefront of hydrogen exports. Collaboration across industry sectors, governments, and communities is essential to fully realise hydrogen’s potential. Together, we can position Scotland as a global leader in hydrogen innovation and sustainability. ”
The Hydrogen Export Plan’s actions complement those in the Green Industrial Strategy and the Hydrogen Action Plan. Together these actions will support the development of hydrogen as an integral part of a high growth low carbon energy sector across Scotland.
The Hydrogen Export Plan’s publication follows the release of PwC’s latest Green Jobs Barometer earlier this week. This finds that Scotland continues to lead the way in creating green jobs, with new data showing the number of advertised green roles has tripled since 2021. The fourth iteration of PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer sees Scotland retake the top spot, with 5.6% of job adverts being for green jobs. Scotland has the highest proportion of green job adverts of any of the UK’s nations and regions, followed by Northern Ireland and London at 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively, as compared to the UK average of 3.3% green job adverts.
Learn more about the Hydrogen Export Plan here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/trading-nation-realising-scotlands-hydrogen-potential-plan-exports/
