From Hype to Trust: Building the Rules, Standards, and Safety Protocols for Clean Hydrogen

PROGRAMME

9.30
WELCOME COFFEE

10.00 – 10.50
INTRODUCTION TO THE SEMINAR
Aliaksei Patonia, Research Fellow,
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
FROM HYPE TO TRUST:
WHY GOVERNANCE (REGULATION, STANDARDS, SAFETY) IS NOW THE REAL BOTTLENECK FOR CLEAN HYDROGEN

10.30
BUILDING A TRUSTWORTHY HYDROGEN MARKET: CERTIFICATION, MARKET DESIGN, AND CROSS-BORDER ALIGNMENT
Ilaria Conti, Coordinator for Strategy & Development, Florence School of Regulation
TBD

11.00
SESSION 1: REGULATIONS

• Do today’s hydrogen policies accelerate or slow down investment – and why?
• If you could change one regulation tomorrow to speed hydrogen adoption, what would it be?

Pressing issues:

• Unclear or fragmented policies: Different definitions of “clean” hydrogen (EU RFNBOs vs. US IRA incentives).
• Infrastructure permitting delays and regulatory gaps in hydrogen transport/storage.
• Market design: lack of clarity on hydrogen’s role in existing energy markets.

Discussion:
What regulatory certainty is required to unlock investment?

CHAIR
Aliaksei Patonia, Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Francisco Pablo de la Flor, CEO, BarMar

12.30
LUNCH
Phoebe Finn, Policy Manager, Statera Energy

13.15
SESSION 2: SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS

CHAIR
Branko Milicevic, Secretary, Group of Experts on Gas and UNECE Hydrogen Task Force, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

SPEAKERS

• Dr Katja Yafimava, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
• Patrick Maio, Founder and Chairman, HINICIO
• Prof. Dmitri Bessarabov, Director, DST HySA Infrastructure Center of Competence
• Rami Shabaneh, Senior Fellow, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC)
• Michael C. Lewis, Director, UT-CEM, University of Texas at Austin
• Are today’s sustainability standards enabling scale - or creating friction and trade barriers - and why?
• If you could align one “core” element across standards tomorrow (e.g., system boundaries, MRV, additionality, chain-of-custody), which would it be - and what would it unlock?

Pressing issues:

• Proliferation of definitions and methodologies: multiple “clean/low-carbon” labels with different thresholds and accounting rules.
• Credibility and auditability (MRV): what must be measured, reported, and verified for claims to be trusted by financiers, regulators, and civil society.
• Interoperability across regions (EU vs UK vs LatAm vs Africa): how to avoid standards becoming a barrier to market access and project development outside early-mover regions.

Discussion:
What is the minimum “common core” of sustainability criteria that must be harmonised to make hydrogen comparable, financeable, and tradable - while still allowing regional flexibility?

13.30
JOINT PHOTO

15.00
COFFEE AND NETWORKING

15.30
SESSION 3: SAFETY STANDARDS

• How can safety frameworks enable public and stakeholder trust in hydrogen technologies?
• What role do harmonised standards and regulations play in scaling hydrogen production, transport, and storage?
• How can safety management systems evolve with new hydrogen technologies and business models?

Pressing issues:

• Public acceptance risks – safety concerns reminiscent of nuclear debates.
• Need for clear safety codes in production, transport, storage, and end-use (ports, pipelines, refuelling stations).
• Knowledge gaps in emergency response and workforce training.

Discussion:
How can strong safety frameworks reinforce trust and scalability?

CHAIR
Jo-Anne Tomkins, CEng., Senior Principal Engineer, DNV

SPEAKERS

• Rainer Quitzow, Research Group Leader, Research Institute for Sustainability
• Rosa Stubenberg, Project Manager, WWF Germany
• Alex Barnes, Director, Alex Barnes & Associates Ltd.
• Oluseyi Weli CEng. MSaRS, Lead Process Safety Engineer, Statera Energy
• Dr Stuart Hawksworth, Head of Centre for Energy and Major Hazards, Health and Safety Executive
• Dr Christopher Jackson, Board and VC Advisor, Energy Institute

17.00
CLOSING REMARKS