Lhyfe has started an 18-month offshore green hydrogen pilot project in France, while SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall have commissioned a pilot facility to store fossil-free hydrogen gas in Sweden. The EU and US, meanwhile, have both announced progress on policy measures to support hydrogen.

In other news, Alstom tested its hydrogen train for long-distance transportation and the IEA released a report suggesting that hydrogen development may require an annual investment of around $60-130 billion through 2030.

As Siemens commissions Germany’s second largest electrolyzer at the Energy Park in Wunsiedel, Engie has taken the Final Investment Decision for a project in Western Australia, scheduled for completion in 2024. Meanwhile, two reports shed light on the future of green hydrogen: on the demand side, the MENA region could use it to become the global leader of green steel; on the supply side, BNEF welcomes the support commitments coming from Europe and the United States.

HydrogenPro is set to install the world’s largest electrolyzer in Norway, while Siemens is preparing to commission Germany’s second biggest electrolyzer.

SunHydrogen has provided a first look at the prototype design for its forthcoming nanoparticle-based green hydrogen technology, and Plug Power has secured a 5 MW electrolyzer order from Lhyfe. A Chinese-US research group, meanwhile, claims to have achieved a highly stable saline water electrolysis using Rhodium nanocrystals.

A German-US research team has shown that hydrogen condenses on smooth surfaces at a very low temperature, forming a super-dense monolayer that reduces the volume to just 5 liters per kilogram of H2. Dutch researchers, meanwhile, have published a new study on hydrogen storage in porous rocks, and Itochu said it is moving forward with hydrogen plans in Japan and South Africa.

BMW Group said it is targeting the premium segment with its iX5 Hydrogen car, Topsoe revealed that it will invest $267 million to build the world’s largest SOEC electrolyzer plant in Denmark, and Bosch announced plans to invest $200 million in US fuel cell production.

Egypt’s hydrogen strategy is taking shape ahead of COP27 through agreements with Globeleq, Actis, and Alfanar. Elsewhere in the world, the US authorities are investing in blue hydrogen, and the city of Hamburg, Germany, has signed three agreements with Chile, Uruguay and Buenos Aires.

Germany has launched the world’s first operational hydrogen trains and US researchers have presented a novel design for a tubular PEM fuel cell. ABB and Hydrogen Optimized, meanwhile, have expanded their strategic ties and Slovakia has moved forward with a major gas-blending pilot project.

The Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance is part of a wider deal that includes batteries and raw materials. Many details remain unclear, but the 2025 target for first deliveries is ambitious, says Paul Martin, the founder of the Hydrogen Science Coalition.