The two countries said they intend to develop regional and global hydrogen markets, support research and innovation, and expand trade and investment opportunities in hydrogen and related industries in both markets.
Both Germany and the UK recognise the importance of hydrogen “as a reliable energy supply for economic and energy security purposes”, not least because of the shifting geopolitical landscape.
The UK already has a memorandum of understanding with the North Seas Energy Cooperation on offshore renewable energy; comprising Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission. Offshore generation surpluses are expected to be used for electrolysis to produce hydrogen.
The cooperation deal, signed by UK minister for energy efficiency and green finance Lord Callanan and the German secretary for energy Philip Nimmermann, aims to speed up deployment of hydrogen projects in the two countries with a focus on demand readiness, networks and storage infrastructure, and supply chain development.
To support the development of hydrogen markets, the two countries will focus on standards and certification, as well as broader regulatory requirements that would facilitate large-scale trade in hydrogen and derivatives. They also committed to jointly exploring financial support mechanisms.
The five-year partnership, which will automatically extend every two years, envisages participation from private-sector companies and industry bodies to explore business opportunities and joint projects including research and deployment.
First on the agenda is convening a joint working group that will identify collaboration opportunities, coordinate activities and decide on next steps.
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