New coalition is set to make transatlantic hydrogen shipment a reality

The Transatlantic Clean Hydrogen Trade Coalition (H2TC), will concentrate on supporting first movers in the US Gulf Coast and Northwestern Europe, with the goal of facilitating trade of more than three million metric tons per year of hydrogen in the form of ammonia and methanol through this corridor by 2030.

The coalition is building membership, and its work has thus far been endorsed by over 20 companies central to the developing hydrogen economy including Ambient Fuels, Apex Clean Energy, Buckeye, BAES Infrastructure, Intersect Power, Linde, LyondellBasell, NextEra Energy, OCI, Shell, STX, Trafigura and Zhero.

The capacity to import relatively cheap clean hydrogen from the US to complement local production will have a direct and significant impact on the European industry’s efforts to deploy clean production processes at scale, including in the fertilizer, steel, and shipping sectors

… said Chad Holliday, Co-Chair of Mission Possible Partnership

The  effort engages market players from suppliers to offtakers, as well as important market-making entities including major ports and associations in the United States and Europe.

Coalition partners include the Center for Houston’s Future, the Port of Corpus Christi, and the Port of Rotterdam. MPP will serve as its Secretariat.

According to Jeff Pollack, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, this collaboration is the next iteration of their longstanding relationship with the Port of Rotterdam, wherein we’re able to offer end-to-end value to our shared customer base.

For the last three years we’ve been scouting the world for green hydrogen, and Texas is one of the most promising locations to export substantial volumes of this renewable energy to Rotterdam within a few years’ time

… noted Nico van Dooren, Director of New Business & Portfolio Management at the Port of Rotterdam

Meanwhile, Jacob Susman, founder and CEO of Ambient Fuels, pointed out that promoting the export of hydrogen derivatives will enable the broader US hydrogen ecosystem to scale up much faster.

Furthermore, H2TC aims to significantly contribute to the EU’s goal of importing 10 million metric tons per year of renewable hydrogen by 2030.

Clean hydrogen provides a vital substitute for fossil fuels in essential industries such as fertilizer production and steelmaking, and its derivatives are the leading alternative to highly polluting bunker fuel in maritime shipping.

Producers from the US Gulf Coast are expected to be among the most cost-competitive clean hydrogen exporters to Europe, given the region’s world-class ports, existing energy infrastructure networks, access to specialized labor, and other strategic advantages.

H2TC will grant members access to in-depth analysis of regulatory and infrastructure requirements, supply and demand matching, and integration with capital markets. Members plan to collaborate closely with US and European governments to help them attain clean energy targets and inform regulatory frameworks to enable trade.

With the ability to leverage the existing infrastructure of our parent company, Buckeye Energy Holdings, in Corpus Christi, we are well placed to provide cost competitive solutions to global hydrogen demands. We look forward to collaborating with our partners in H2TC to make this a reality.

… stated Jamie Cemm, CEO of BAES Infrastructure

Bryan Fisher, managing director of RMI and director of hubs at MPP, highlighted that the Coalition brings together a group of private and public sector leaders that have the ambition and the capability to make clean hydrogen trade happen this decade.

We are pleased to leverage these assets and our experience to support the efforts of this Coalition to kickstart a transatlantic clean hydrogen economy between the US and the EU

… said David Burns, Vice President Clean Energy, Linde

Moreover, Eveline Speelman, Partner at Systemiq believes that the US Gulf Coast is set to become an early and timely source of hydrogen imports for Europe in support of the decarbonization of European industry.

NextEra Energy Resources is honored to be one of the industry leaders that is supporting this effort. We are excited and continue to back initiatives that advance the green hydrogen economy.

… supplied Ross Groffman, vice president of hydrogen development for NextEra Energy Resources. “

Finally, Julien Rolland, Head of Strategic Projects and Investments for Trafigura made the interesting point that cost-efficient and safe transport of renewable hydrogen-based fuels will be an important enabler of the energy transition.