Hydrogen Council premieres in Washington, DC

Washington D.C. – June 14, 2018 – Executives from the Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led coalition working to foster the role of hydrogen in the energy transition, joined key events in the U.S. Capital for the first time. The group presented its vision to U.S. decision-makers and announced its 2018 CEO meeting – bringing together 30+ C-suite leaders from Europe, Asia and North America – to take place in San Francisco, USA, in September.

Executives from Hydrogen Council member companies – 3M, Air Liquide, Toyota, Hyundai and Plug Power – hosted a luncheon at the their first-ever 2018 National Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Forum to present the group’s global vision with its ground-breaking ‘Hydrogen, scaling up’ study. In attendance for the inaugural U.S. presentation of the study was a packed room including representatives from Capitol Hill, Administration, industry, think tanks, NGOs and international organizations. The event was hosted by the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).

The Council also addressed the Plenary at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2018 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. Council members Engie, Air Liquide and Toyota offered perspectives on opportunities and challenges related to hydrogen deployment around the world. The U.S. market is a key component of this global effort and the Council is working to deepen collaboration with U.S. partners to develop specific support activities and boost progress.

In addition, this autumn, global leaders in the hydrogen sector will again return to the U.S., as the Hydrogen Council hosts their Annual CEO Meeting at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on 12-13 September 2018. CEOs and high-level executives from all 39 members of the Council will be present, congregating with partners from the tech sector alongside VIP stakeholders from industry, government and international organizations.

“We look forward to hosting the Hydrogen Council’s 2018 CEO meeting in the US. Bringing business leaders together for the occasion of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco will allow us to interact with leading figures in energy transition, from Silicon Valley innovators to international policy-makers. Hydrogen has a key role to play and we look forward to accelerating the scale of its market uptake together.” Said Dr.-Ing. Sae Hoon Kim, Co-secretary of the Hydrogen Council and Vice President Fuel Cell Group, Hyundai Motor Group

Pierre-Etienne Franc, Co-secretary of the Hydrogen Council and Vice-President, Hydrogen Energy at Air Liquide remarked, “The coalition of industry, policy-makers, and investors is key for the energy transition. This change will be driven not by one company or technology but through the power of partnerships. The U.S. is among our strategic priorities. Deployment at scale is key for the transition; there is yet more to be done, we are aiming high.”