Leading the way

New Renewable Hydrogen Coalition Leadership Calls Europe to Bring Renewable Hydrogen from Ambition to Tangible Actions

The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition (RHC) has elected Olivia Breese, CEO Power-2-X at the renewable energy company Ørsted, as Chair, and Håkon Volldal, President and CEO of leading electrolyser manufacturer Nel, as Vice-chair. The two industry leaders will bring strong leadership, a wealth of expertise and a shared vision to help position Europe as a global leader in renewable hydrogen production, utilisation, and technologies.

Commenting on her appointment, RHC Chair Olivia Breese stated “Following the significant progresses achieved at European level under the leadership of Iberdrola and Sunfire, we are honoured to serve as chairpersons for the next 18 months. Now, Europe’s top priority should be to bring renewable hydrogen from ambition to tangible action: We must focus on funding and support schemes that will unlock business models as well as completing the regulatory framework to enable large scale uptake.”

She added “The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition has become an authoritative voice for our sector in the European hydrogen space, and it needs to be even further strengthened in the critical years ahead. We will leverage our pioneering experience and full-scale competences to the advantage of the sector’s value chain, helping to catalyse the next phase of the Power-to-X industry.”

The stakes are high for Europe. This is not just a question of achieving its renewable hydrogen targets by 2030. It is a global leadership and European industrial competitiveness imperative. It is an energy security imperative. It is a climate change imperative.

“Now is the time to put the pedal to the metal” voiced the Vice-chair Håkon Volldal, adding “Europe can lead the global renewable hydrogen technology race by developing a robust European value chain, upscaling manufacturing capacities, and setting standards that are championed globally. Coupled with the right funding tools and appropriate budget, these are essential elements to close the cost gap with fossil-based alternatives, unlock larger final investment decisions in hard-to-electrify sectors and kick-start the renewable hydrogen economy in Europe. We look forward to working with our supporters, policymakers, and all relevant actors to turn Europe’s renewable hydrogen ambition into reality“.

Download the press release here. 

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The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition (RHC) promotes the critical role of renewable hydrogen to deliver the EU’s long-term decarbonisation goals. The Coalition is the voice of a high-level and interdisciplinary network of start-ups, investors, entrepreneurs, innovative companies and industrial off-takers all dedicated to making Europe the global leader in renewable hydrogen solutions.

For media inquiries, please contact: Louise Combret, Policy & Communications Officer, [email protected], Mobile: +32 492 115 897