Covid-19 fiscal crunch could slow growth of green H2
Important parts of the renewable hydrogen economy will not reach competitive scale if governments pull back from providing promised support
The pandemic’s impact on government budgets, and therefore on green energy subsidies, may endanger the emergence of green hydrogen at commercial scale, analysts have warned. Green hydrogen is widely expected to be called upon to decarbonise the final 20pc of global energy consumption, especially for hard-to-abate sectors. But its ability to fulfil this role depends on production becoming cost-competitive with more conventional fuels. The cost of green hydrogen is falling and is expected to continue to do so, but production will not reach self-sufficiency unless governments first support adoption through investments and policies. “A government that wants to ‘go for green’ might decide t
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Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
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Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
2 February 2026
As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies
