Business Delegation on Green Hydrogen to Brussels, Rotterdam and Hamburg
Together with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) and the Green Hydrogen Organisation India (GH2 India), the Indo-German Energy Forum Support Office (IGEF-SO) organised an Indian business delegation to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany from 17 to 23 November 2024 on the topic of green hydrogen. The tour featured a visit to the European Hydrogen Week, which took place from 18 to 22 November 2024 in Brussels.
The first day of the delegation in the city of Brussels focused on the EU's sustainability criteria for green hydrogen and what implications these have on India’s green hydrogen strategy. Mr. Clemens Antretter, H2Uppp, GIZ and Mr. Frank Mischler, International Power-to-X Hub, GIZ presented various aspects of sustainable green hydrogen production and consumption in India and Europe. The role of hydrogen in the European energy transition was discussed by Ms. Veerle Dossche, Agora Industry. Ms. Anaïs Faucher, SolarPower Europe, gave an overview of European developments in green hydrogen from a solar industry perspective.
On the first day of the exhibition, the group received a guided tour of exhibitors and technology providers in the upcoming hydrogen economy, including, among many others, ThyssenKrupp Nucera, Fraunhofer Hydrogen Network, Quest One, SFC Energy AG, DILO, RWE and Sunfire. The visit was filled with insightful exchanges and demonstrations at the exhibition, enabling the delegation to network with experts from companies with a special interest in India. It provided them with an opportunity to engage in discussions about their work in the field of hydrogen and explore potential avenues for future collaboration and exchange among the respective companies. Additionally, the group attended the official inauguration of the India Pavilion on 18 November. India was the exclusive partner country for European Hydrogen Week 2024. More than 220 exhibitors demonstrated their technology, national and regional ambitions, and market-ready products to more than 9,000 attendees. More than 60 government and business representatives attended the inaugural of the India Pavilion.
On 19 November, the EU-India Dialogue on Green Hydrogen Cooperation on the sidelines of the European Hydrogen Week allowed for discussions among the participants with EU and Indian representatives.
On the third day of the exhibition, the group had time to explore the exhibition and to participate in various panel sessions. Several business and government delegations, with more than 100 representatives from India, joined the conference and exhibition. More than 200 speakers discussed, debated, and devised solutions to the sector’s greatest challenges across 25 panel sessions at the High-Level Policy Conference, the B2B Forum and the Innovation Forum.
After a successful visit to the European Hydrogen Week, the group travelled to Rotterdam and Hamburg to gain further insight into green hydrogen developments in Europe.
After learning and discussing port infrastructure in Europe in general, the delegates were able to get a first-hand impression of the green hydrogen developments in Europe at the Port of Rotterdam. The tour included a stop at the ammonia terminals of OCI where Mr. Anton Fransen, OCI Nitrogen Europe, presented the hydrogen developments at the Port and specifically the OCI ammonia terminals. Delegates were introduced to the Hynetwork hydrogen pipeline, the backbone of all hydrogen projects in the Port of Rotterdam. The tour also included views of the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, Europe's largest refinery with a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. The group was also able to see the latest developments at the largest planned electrolyser field in Europe with a total capacity of 650 MW, including projects from Shell, BP and Air Liquide. The group also explored the SIF offshore wind foundation manufacturing and storage facility, including the GE Haliade-X 14 MW wind turbine.
On the last day in Hamburg, the group visited the Competence Center for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) which is a central research unit at HAW Hamburg. It focuses on addressing current and future challenges related to the energy transition from an interdisciplinary perspective. The group had the chance to get an insight into the practical solutions developed by the centre to a broad spectrum of technological, societal, political and economic issues – from the initial idea to implementation.
The last site visit in Hamburg was to a decommissioned Airbus A320 which is becoming the Hydrogen Aviation Lab, Hamburg's new field laboratory for developing processes for future hydrogen-powered aircraft. Lufthansa, together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research and Hamburg Airport, has joined forces to design and test maintenance and ground-based processes for hydrogen technology. The project is funded by Hamburg's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation as well as the city's investment and development bank, IFB Hamburg. Currently, the Hydrogen Aviation Lab is being fitted with a full suite of test systems as well as an internal tank for liquid hydrogen and an onboard fuel cell, paired with supporting ground-based hydrogen infrastructure.
Overall, the tour gave the participants the opportunity to get an in-depth look at various developments in the green hydrogen sector in Europe. The visit to the European Hydrogen Week also allowed participants to network and explore new opportunities for further collaborations.
Background information on European Hydrogen Week
European Hydrogen Week 2024 is organised by Hydrogen Europe, the European Commission and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership to bring the entire hydrogen sector in one place for a whole week of conferences, exhibition and networking opportunities. The next European Hydrogen Week will take place from 29 September to 3 October 2025 in Brussels. Find more information here.