At the sideline of Hyvolution Paris 2025 in France, The Energy Republic speaks with Dr. Emma Guthrie, Chief Executive Officer of Hydrogen Energy Association UK, about the role of hydrogen in the country’s energy transition journey.
Prior to her appointment, Guthrie was a Chemist with a consistent track record of over 15 years of experience in the chemical and industrial gas sectors. She has worked with Air Products and was involved in coordinating some major hydrogen projects in the UK.
Interestingly, Guthrie has also been involved in delivering filling stations to Heathrow Airport and has also worked on various hydrogen coordination projects. Excerpts:
Interview By: Ndubuisi Micheal Obineme
TER: Please briefly tell us about the association.
Guthrie: The Hydrogen Energy Association is the UK’s trade association that represents the entire value chain of the hydrogen industry in the country.
We have over 110 members. Our members are multinational companies, electrolyzer providers, service companies, as well as small micro-companies on the entrepreneurial side that are exploring opportunities to develop projects or supply components, and equipment that are enabling the delivery of hydrogen projects. Our members are working on projects to enable the development of the hydrogen sector in the UK.
Our role is to be the voice of the hydrogen industry in the United Kingdom engage in dialogue with the government in policy areas and facilitate networking opportunities.
TER: What is the role of hydrogen in the UK energy transition journey?
Guthrie: Hydrogen has developed from more than 40 years of experience in the industrial space where, I would say it wasn’t always focused on low carbon, but more on the properties of hydrogen and how it could deliver value into major industrial applications.
The production and storage of hydrogen are very well known. But what’s obviously making hydrogen popular is its potential to drive the energy transition and the potential of hydrogen to support industrial decarbonization.
In the UK, hydrogen is a key part of the government agenda. The UK government is working on driving the country’s energy sector towards Net Zero, as well as exploring opportunities for decarbonization.
Hydrogen, I would say, has a role to play in the UK energy transition journey and the government understands the need to support the development of the hydrogen energy industry in the UK.
Our members are also exploring options to see how they can work alongside government policy in making that change using hydrogen.
TER: What are the challenges affecting hydrogen development in the UK?
Guthrie: I think the challenge is moving from hydrogen which was well used in an industrial setting during the period when the attention around the production of CO2 was less dominant.
Today, we are moving towards the environment to develop lower-carbon hydrogen. There’s still a development cost to achieve it. So, we’re still in a pre-commercial space on some of these hydrogen projects in the UK. There’s a need for government policy support including funding mechanisms to deliver some of these initial projects that will improve and demonstrate the opportunities of hydrogen.
We need a strong connection with the government to show the potential, but also to access their support at the policy and funding level.
TER: Are there any specific policy the association would like the UK Government to focus on going forward?
Guthrie: We are in close dialogue around some of the existing policies. We are looking to see how the policies would deliver the much-needed value for our members.
We support the work that the government is doing so far. I would say the UK government is supporting the concepts of hydrogen and how it can contribute to the decarbonization of the energy sector.
There’s a key initiative with the UK Government now called the ‘Hydrogen Allocation Rounds’, that is delivering projects into the UK, and many of our members are involved in it as well. We are in close dialogue with the government to support it.
TER: What are some of the key hydrogen projects that would drive growth in the UK energy sector?
Guthrie: There are two main areas, which include using hydrogen in the transportation and industrial sectors.
On the transport side, hydrogen can be used as a fuel for decarbonizing and replacing petrol or diesel. Hydrogen can be used in a combustion engine or used within a fuel cell to generate electrical power. So, I would say hydrogen can contribute on the transport side especially where there are limitations in the electric vehicle (EV) drive, such as in applications and drive cycles where the size and weight of the batteries can be an issue.
Hydrogen isn’t replacing EVs, but there are several transportation areas where hydrogen can add value. Hydrogen can be used in heavy vehicles, buses, fleets, and trains that travel long distances. These are areas where battery technology can be limiting, and hydrogen can play a key role as well as contributing to the decarbonization of the UK’s energy sector.
TER: What is your perspective on the outlook for hydrogen in the UK?
Guthrie: Hydrogen will continue to play a role in the industrial decarbonization programs that are effective in the UK.
We’re all moving towards Net zero and there are several different pathways to do that. Hydrogen is one.
I think the challenge for us as an association is to highlight where hydrogen can truly add value versus maybe other forms of renewable energy or other energy pathways. And for sure, hydrogen is going to play an important role in the UK.
TER: What are the association’s main priorities in 2025 and beyond?
Guthrie: There are two things. One is for us to work towards the benefit of our members. For any of our members who want to deliver successful projects, we are there to support them by connecting them with other companies they can collaborate with or being their voice in government regarding any concerns affecting the policy environment. And, then it’s us being the voice of the sector so that the UK Government will see the HEA as a trusted ally in our dialogue with them.
TER: Are there any international relations between your association and other countries?
Guthrie: Yes, we do. We’re mindful that the hydrogen sector is a global space, and we cannot work in isolation.
We are members of Hydrogen Europe, which covers the main national hydrogen bodies across Europe. But we also have collaboration with associations outside of Europe.
Chile is one, for example. We’ve had dialogues with colleagues in India, and Japan. Hopefully, we will expand our relations into Africa, which is a very exciting part of the world.
Certainly, our vision includes working in collaboration with other associations to deliver hydrogen projects across the world.