COP28: 39 countries endorse declaration for mutual recognition of hydrogen standards

A global initiative for the mutual recognition of certification systems for hydrogen and derivatives has been presented at COP28 in Dubai.

During a “High Level Roundtable on Hydrogen” event on December 5, the flagship Hydrogen Declaration of Intent to pursue mutual recognition of hydrogen certification schemes, both at political and technical levels, was announced and endorsed by 39 countries.

The signatories of the declaration of intent are committed to the accelerated and harmonized development of technical standards that will enable mutual recognition of methodologies and certifiers. The initiative also opens up the possibility of taking further steps to harmonize approaches together with the participating nations.

The idea of the mutual recognition of certification schemes for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and derivates was originally developed as part of the German G7 Presidency to primarily to ensure reliability and trust in trading.

Among the signatories of the declaration are Germany, Canada, the United States of America (USA), Australia, Namibia, South Africa, India, and Brazil.

The Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (MNWK), Stefan Wenzel, said : “Today’s declaration is an important step for the global hydrogen market and cross-border trade in renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives. This initiative will make a decisive contribution to global decarbonization and at the same time pave the way for sustainable industrial value creation in the global south.

“The hydrogen market needs clarity and security from the start. Reliable and transparent norms and standards are essential for this. That’s why it’s so important that we align our processes with international cooperation, because the hydrogen market will be a global market.”

The declaration was hailed as a “historic” new step towards unlocking the socio-economic benefits of cross-border value chains for hydrogen and its derivatives.

In addition to this declaration, two more initiatives have been launched to accelerate commercialization of hydrogen to keep the 1.5 degrees target within reach and to unlock the socio-economic benefits of cross-border value chains for hydrogen and its derivatives, featuring:

• ISO methodology providing a global benchmark for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment of hydrogen pathways on a life-cycle analysis basis; and
• Public-Private Action Statement on cross-border trade corridors in hydrogen and derivatives in partnership with the International Hydrogen Trade Forum (IHTF) and the Hydrogen Council

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said: “Today is a very important day for low-emissions hydrogen. The flagship initiative that the COP28 Presidency has presented can be a vital catalyst for accelerating clean energy transitions. I warmly welcome the Public-Private Action Statement, which builds on  the collaborative efforts of the IEA, the co-chairs of the International Hydrogen Trade Forum, UNIDO and the Hydrogen Council. The IEA will continue to support governments around the world in leveraging the economic, energy security and climate opportunities offered by low-emissions hydrogen.”