PE Live: Hydrogen firms need to deliver on stock surge
Pure play hydrogen energy system companies have massively outperformed their peers, and expectations are high they will start to deliver profits well before 2030
The share prices of hydrogen-focused companies have hugely outperformed comparable energy system manufacturers in 2020 and are increasingly attracting the interest of investors and firms seeking a stake in the sector, panellists agreed on a recent PE Live webcast. Excitement is being driven by the “change in tone” across a range of companies that are “looking more seriously at billion-dollar scale investments in hydrogen technologies”, says Sean McLoughlin, Emea head of industrials research, global research, at bank HSBC. Hydrogen ‘pure play’ companies are increasingly teaming up with industrial giants to create joint ventures large enough to commercialise technologies and scale-up activitie
Also in this section
25 February 2026
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
18 February 2026
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






