“Today’s theme - Invest, Innovate, Implement - reflects the real-world momentum behind hydrogen energy” said Dr Guthrie. “This isn’t a future ambition - hydrogen is happening now.”
Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State for Industry told delegates that hydrogen sits at the heart of two of the government’s most important missions: building a stronger economy and achieving energy independence. She outlined progress under the Hydrogen Allocation Round scheme and praised the 27 projects approved under HAR2, while acknowledging the pressure for delivery.
“This is more than policy” said Ms Jones. “It’s progress. And we’ll continue to work at pace to make the UK a global leader in hydrogen. We’re at a critical point in the political and economic cycle, with the Spending Review ahead. That will determine how we invest for the future. I hope it reflects the scale of the opportunity - because it has to.”
The HEA Conference 2025 brought together hundreds of delegates from across industry, government and academia, showcasing new hydrogen technology and reinforcing the message that hydrogen’s moment is here.
Throughout the day, speakers said the UK had to move faster, scale bigger and invest smarter to avoid being left behind in the global hydrogen race.
“We should be focusing on exporting our knowledge, not just our molecules” said SLR Consulting’s Kim McCann. “Other countries are producing hydrogen for less than $30 per megawatt-hour - some as low as $22. And we can’t compete on those prices alone. Our competitive edge has to come from being first - by innovating, by scaling, and by owning the intellectual and technological advantage. That’s how we lead.”
“We’re seeing more large-scale hydrogen projects coming through – but financing needs to be planned from the outset” added Ethan Murray of Santander. “Developers who wait until the end to think about bankability risk stalling their own progress.”
Other speakers throughout the day outlined details of their own projects and the scope for further deployment.
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