In Brief:
- Pioneer and driving force behind the first large-scale hydrogen projects in the EU:
Founded in 2000, EHA unites national and regional hydrogen experts who have led Europe’s first cross-border hydrogen demonstration projects and continue to develop hydrogen communities and hubs through EU programmes. - Coordinator of regional European partnerships:
Since 2008, EHA has coordinated major regional hydrogen collaborations, including HyER and RH2INE, and actively supports Hydrogen Valleys across multiple European regions. - Policy pioneer in Brussels since 2004:
As one of the first hydrogen organisations established in Brussels, EHA is a trusted non-profit advisor to EU institutions, shaping hydrogen policy and monitoring key developments affecting Europe’s hydrogen market. - Synergy accelerator:
EHA accelerates synergies between renewable energy, hydrogen, and transport infrastructure, having laid the groundwork for EU Synergy calls and contributed to the creation of Europe’s first Hydrogen Valley. - Developer of Energy/Hydrogen mapping tools:
EHA develops publicly accessible mapping tools that integrate energy, transport, and digital infrastructure data to support strategic, resilient deployment of hydrogen across Europe.
Pioneer and driving force behind the first large-scale hydrogen projects in the EU
Established in the year 2000, EHA’s non-profit network of hydrogen expertise is made up of national and regional hydrogen experts who have played leading roles in the first industrial cross-border projects. As such, EHA was involved at the inception of the first demonstration projects under the FCH JU and CEF programmes, including buses (CHIC), taxis (HyTEC), hydrogen refuelling stations (HIT, CEF), and local distribution vehicles (FREVUE). More recently, EHA has been active within the Clean Hydrogen Alliance and CEF programmes, contributing to creating synergies between local energy networks and inland shipping and road transport, to develop the first hydrogen communities and hydrogen hubs.
Coordinator of regional European partnerships
Since 2008, EHA has acted as co-founder and secretariat of HyER, the largest regional cooperation platform for zero-emission transport and energy network development, which became a precursor to the current Hydrogen Valleys. EHA experts contributed to the proposals for the first Hydrogen Valley in Groningen and are involved in Hydrogen Valleys in Ireland, Sweden, Spain and Italy. In 2018, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Province of South Holland and the North Rhine-Westphalia region, EHA co-founded the Rhine Hydrogen Integration Network of Excellence (RH2INE), which focuses on hydrogen development for transport applications along the EU Rhine-Alpine corridor.
Policy pioneer in Brussels since 2004
EHA was one the first European hydrogen organisation to establish a presence in Brussels. As a non-profit international association under Belgian jurisdiction not representing industry, EHA has become a trusted actor within EU institutions and participates in various advisory bodies, such as ETIP SNET and the Sustainable Transport Forum. EHA is regularly approached by national and regional authorities to connect with both private and public European bodies, in order to assess or shape specific policies. EHA is currently closely monitoring the development of the European Hydrogen Bank and Hydrogen Auctions and the dual use role of hydrogen in military and civil transport and energy networks as well as the rise of AI and data centres, which are expected to have a significant impact on the hydrogen market in Europe and beyond.
Synergy accelerator
Since 2012, EHA has been working with national and regional authorities to efficiently channel the Synergies between the development of renewable energy parks and the production and distribution of hydrogen and electricity towards economically and socially responsible applications in transport and stationary sectors. The first hydrogen refuelling station projects along the TEN-T corridors, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the CEF (Hydrogen Infrastructure for Transport – HIT 1 and 2, 2011–2015), formed the basis for the first EU CEF Synergy calls in 2016. These were developed by EHA in collaboration with the Ministry and DG MOVE, resulting in the first hydrogen Synergy project in Groningen, TSO2020. TSO2020 led, among other outcomes, to the recognition of Groningen as the first European Hydrogen Valley and the establishment of RH2INE.
Developer of Energy/Hydrogen mapping tools
Since its inception, EHA has placed high importance on providing comprehensive geographical maps of hydrogen developments across Europe, as part of its communication efforts. In support of Synergy project mapping, EHA decided to develop a publicly accessible and user-friendly overview map, displaying hydrogen-relevant elements of energy, digital and transport infrastructure to contribute to a sustainable roll out of hydrogen applications accelerating the transition to a resilient integrated deployment. In this way EHA’s team of hydrogen and graphic experts is offering a unique and up-to-date view of key developments and potential sites where new Synergies could emerge.