The Scottish Government has published its first hydrogen export plan, outlining the actions needed to secure Scotland as a key producer of renewable hydrogen by 2030.

The new report, A Trading Nation: Realising Scotland’s Hydrogen Potential – A Plan for Exports, outlines where the government sees opportunities for growth for businesses and investors, and includes recommendations to boost the hydrogen economy, including more investments in production, transport, and storage.

Among those recommendations are improvements to infrastructure and systems around exporting hydrogen, including creating hydrogen storage facilities, aligning hydrogen regulation in Scotland with existing EU rules, and exploring the viability of hydrogen pipelines from Scotland to mainland Europe and Ireland.

The report highlights the growing demand across the UK and Europe for hydrogen and hydrogen products, with the government planning to position Scotland as a key player in this market in the hopes of attracting more investment into the sector.

The new strategy places emphasis on both developing Scotland’s domestic support chain, capabilities and skills – through regional hydrogen hubs and filling the gaps in hydrogen production, transport and storage – as well as the need to work with current and potential hydrogen exporters to develop international supply chains.

According to the government, Scotland could potentially deliver up to 3.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2045, the energy equivalent of around 90% of Scotland’s total current energy demand.

Acting energy secretary Gillian Martin unveiled the plans during a visit to Hydrasun, a Scottish based company which designs, makes and installs hydrogen refuellers and associated parts.

“Hydrogen is one of Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunities since oil and gas was discovered and we have the environment, skills, knowledge, and experience to become a driving force behind the growth of the hydrogen sector in Europe and beyond,” said Martin.

“This plan focusses on the significant international trade opportunities presented by hydrogen and sets out the key steps required to secure and maximise the economic benefits.”

The new strategy aims to take advantage of the European Union’s target to import 10 million tonnes (Mt) of hydrogen by 2030, as well as other overseas markets, with the global demand for hydrogen expected to reach 115Mt within five years.

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Taking full advantage of this demand will mean ramping up current capabilities. The Scottish Hydrogen Assessment, completed in 2020, estimated that by 2045 approximately 3.3 Mt of renewable hydrogen could be produced in Scotland with approximately 2.5 Mt exported to the UK and other European markets annually. 

However, since the publication of the Hydrogen Action Plan in 2021, the Scottish Government has made significant investments into bolstering the sector domestically. 

In the last half of this year alone, the government announced £7 million in funding for green hydrogen projects, unveiled its masterplan for a green energy hub at the defunct Chapelcross nuclear site, and provided some of the funding towards the Net Zero Technology Centre’s Energy Hubs project.