HEA launches action plan to drive UK hydrogen demand
The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) has launched its Building Hydrogen Demand Action Plan, which provides a strategy to unlock the full potential of hydrogen across the UK economy.
The report outlines a series of clear, pragmatic recommendations aimed at scaling up demand for low carbon hydrogen and supporting the UK’s journey toward net zero and energy security.
Against a backdrop of increasingly unstable global energy markets, net zero targets, and the UK’s clean energy ambitions, the HEA’s new action plan provides a roadmap for stimulating hydrogen demand in key sectors – industry, power, and transport.
Key recommendations include amending carbon pricing to better incentivise zero carbon solutions, introducing mandates and emissions targets to drive change in the uptake of hydrogen, and blending the gas grid, speeding up decision making to enable the gas distribution network to function as a realistic off-taker of last resort.
It also calls for a development of a Hydrogen for Transport Strategy to address patchy support across road transport, set clear deployment and emissions targets, and retain optionality between fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines.
The Building Hydrogen Demand Action Plan also calls for reform of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to increase support and expand eligible hydrogen sources, and the development of pilot projects for hydrogen for transport.
The HEA plan stresses that targeted government action is essential to realise the UK’s ambition of deploying up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030. The report advocates for a balanced approach – removing early-stage barriers while laying the groundwork for long-term growth.
Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the HEA, said:
We’ve seen positive momentum on hydrogen production, storage, and transportation – now is the time to focus on demand.
“Hydrogen presents a major economic and energy opportunity for the UK – strengthening system resilience, flexibility, and security, while potentially saving billions of pounds by 2050. By 2030, it could support up to 12,000 jobs and attract £11 billion in private investment into low-carbon projects and supply chains.The HEA’s Building Hydrogen Demand Action Plan presents practical steps to unlock billions in private investment, create thousands of jobs, and secure long-term decarbonisation across multiple sectors.”
Following the report’s publication, the HEA will continue to work closely with government, industry stakeholders, and investors to move from recommendation to implementation, helping ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the global hydrogen economy.
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HEA launches action plan to drive UK hydrogen demand, source
