The hydrogen discourse picked up steam over the past decade: In 2025, the Hydrogen Council counted >1,700 clean hydrogen projects announced globally across the value chain. The European Commission sees hydrogen as a critical puzzle piece for the decarbonization of Europe’s economy and has committed billions in public funding to foster the development of a clean hydrogen economy. 

Yet, translating momentum into tangible progress remains challenging. The IEA recently revised its 2030 clean hydrogen outlook downwards by almost 25% percent, reflecting cost pressure, policy uncertainty and project cancellation with 50+ projects publicly called off since 2024.

Led by the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub, a state-of-the-art green hydrogen production hub at the former Moorburg coal power plant, this panel will explore what it really takes to unlock the clean hydrogen economy today. Together with other IPCEI-funded projects and relevant stakeholders, we will discuss the regulatory intricacies, the balancing of production, infrastructure and demand developments, and how to keep the momentum going.
In doing so, we will go beyond high-level statements and share practical insights and learnings from practitioners on the ground.