Letter on hydrogen: The generation game
Hydrogen is making inroads as a fuel for power plants as governments seek clean fuels to back up intermittent wind and solar
Energy economists are quick to point out that producing electrolytic hydrogen for use as a power generation fuel does not really stack up in terms of energy losses and various other cost and efficiency factors. Would renewable power not be better used directly to help meet the expected surge in electricity demand as the transition accelerates, instead of converting it into hydrogen molecules and then ‘re-electrifying’ via a fuel cell or turbine? Well, yes and no. A growing number of governments and utilities are stepping up efforts to establish hydrogen as a generation fuel over the next couple of decades. A growing number of governments and utilities are stepping up efforts to establi
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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
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Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
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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
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