Overcoming growing pains in the UK's hydrogen sector

**Pamela Largue** (0:12)
Hydrogen has gone from being the energy sector's hottest hype story to a technology facing tough questions about cost, policy and delivery. But has the bubble really burst, or is hydrogen simply growing up? In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, I speak with Clare Jackson, CEO of Hydrogen UK, to explore the industry's awkward teenage phase, why investors are growing impatient, and what needs to happen next for hydrogen to play its crucial role in decarbonizing heavy industry, strengthening energy security, and powering the UK's net zero future.
Clare also calls on the UK government to take the policy breaks off before the UK loses its global competitive advantage. I'm Pamela Largue, and this is the Energy Transitions Podcast.
Clare, thank you so much for joining me today to talk about hydrogen, a very exciting topic. And of course, there was a bit of a hydrogen bubble, and then it seemed to burst. So my question to you is, has the hydrogen conversation become a little bit more realistic and constructive over the past few years?

**Clare Jackson** (1:30)
Oh, well, no, firstly, thanks so much for having me. It's fantastic to be here.
I mean, I think the hydrogen industry has gone through a sort of very interesting, you know, few years. I think, as you said, you know, a few years ago, you know, Hyshin was very much, you know, the cool new kid on the block. Everyone was very excited about the possibility of all these very many things that Hyshin was going to do, deliver on all of our energy needs, cure cancer. You know, there was a lot of excitement around Hyshin. I think what we've seen over the last couple of years is a sort of, I guess, a tightening of the role that Hyshin is going to play.
So, you know, I sometimes describe it as, you know, historically, there was this sort of like big cloud of possibilities of things that Hyshin might do. And now it's a little bit more like a cannonball. You know, it's smaller, but it's more solid and certain. And that's really helpful for investors and the industry. I think what we're also seeing is, you know, the reality of what happens when you actually try and deliver something.
And this is something that has happened, we've seen in sort of solar offshore wind, we're busy seeing every new energy technology, is there's a lot of excitement. You then actually have to try and deliver it. There are challenges associated with that. Sometimes I feel like, you know, the hydrogen industry trying to get projects off the ground is a little bit like a game of whack-a-mole. But, you know, the reality is, is we're now starting to see sort of projects come forward and sort of come through the sort of other end of that and actually take final investment decisions, start construction and even in the UK, we've seen some that started operating. So, you know, it's a very natural and normal experience and journey that new energy technologies go on and, you know, hydrogen is going through that. Me and my colleagues sometimes argue about whether it's the terrible twos or the awkward teenage phase. But, you know, hydrogen is going through it, it's growing up, it's becoming a reality, which is, you know, really exciting. But yes, it comes with challenges. And I think, you know, the other thing is, you know, again, this is kind of a little bit what happens when you start out in a new sort of technology area, a new energy technology area. It says lots of projects that get announced. It's very cheap and easy to announce a project. And then as the sort of, you know, that progresses, you see the very best projects sort of coming forwards and actually making it through. And there are some projects which don't make it. And so you see sort of, you know, headlines around, you know, projects not making it through and not sort of moving forwards. But equally, there's also projects that do.
And so, you know, sometimes the sort of media coverage and what you see on LinkedIn or wherever it is that you get your news, sometimes you end up with this sort of like mixed picture. But, you know, the reality is, is the best projects are coming forwards. They are making it through and it's a reality now, which is hugely exciting. So yeah, we're going through the awkward teenage phase, but this is what we would expect from any new technology, exactly what we've seen in others before.

**Pamela Largue** (4:24)
I almost feel as if we're looking forward to that midlife crisis phase, once hydrogen, that late maturity phase.