Represented by their national hydrogen associations or governments, many countries are present in Rotterdam for the World Hydrogen Summit. And there are some big pavilions too, including that of Canada. As for Asia, competition is on between Korea and Japan.
Canada has a strong presence at the event. The country points out that it is one of the world’s ten biggest hydrogen producers, and plans to be in the top 3 by 2050. Over ten projects are currently underway with partners such as World Energy GH2, EverWind, Air Products, Pattern Energy and TES. In the Americas zone, Brazil and Chile also have pavilions, with both countries aspiring to become green hydrogen exporters. Uruguay is also starting to emerge.
Asia-Pacific is also in the spotlight. Korea attended with around fifteen companies operating in a wide range of fields (cryogenic valves, electrolyser stacks, fuel cells, storage, generators, etc.). And it is in competition with Japan, which showed up in force in Rotterdam. The Toyota Hilux FCEV pick-up is on display, as well as players such as Kawasaki (with the Suiso Frontier, its hydrogenator and future models to come). Japan and Korea, both represented at government level, are opening the day’s conferences on 14 may. It’s worth noting that India also has a pavilion. And it’s probably one of the biggest at this forum. It’s a country that’s set to grow considerably, with strong support from the authorities and ambitions in the transport sector. Australia is also a major player in the WHS.
Without listing all the participants, a number of countries from the Gulf (Oman) and Africa (Morocco, Namibia) are also present in Rotterdam. Incidentally, the President of Namibia, Dr Nangolo Mbumba, will be speaking on May 14. His country has just welcomed the first hydrogen station in the country, in anticipation of a boat that will be the first of its kind in Africa. In comparison, Europe appears to be lagging behind, with Norway, Finland and Denmark, not forgetting of course Belgium and the Netherlands.
With high-level conferences over three days, the World Hydrogen Summit is a kind of Davos for hydrogen.
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili
