Instead of the usual comments around regulation, investment and offtakes, she stressed the importance of understanding hydrogen’s physical and technical properties – without which, it stands to reason, the industry cannot evolve.

“Many people think that hydrogen’s clean and that’s really not the case – it depends on how it is produced, managed and used,” she said.

“Limiting emissions isn’t just about CO2 and methane, but hydrogen itself – it’s also an indirect greenhouse gas, and has 37 times more power than CO2 over a 20-year period. And that’s quite often being forgotten when some of these big decisions are being made.”

It means that how hydrogen is handled is critical, said Spence-Jackson. “One of the scientists I work with said it’s such a small slippery molecule – you can fit 500,000 molecules on one single strand of my hair. So it can escape extremely easily,” she said.

“When we’re designing the build-out of our future industries we [therefore] need to be really careful to make sure the physical and chemical properties of hydrogen are understood.”

Using hydrogen wisely is another important element, she added.

 “And in the context of the Clean Industrial Deal, there are a few important dimensions with hydrogen. Transparency is key. We need to have a clear distinction between renewable and low carbon hydrogen, and full implementation of the RED III targets.”

“The technical detail is so important in terms of the science-based economy of the future. If you think about the EU Hydrogen Bank … for the bank to succeed, all the decisions being taken need to make sure they are grounded and following the science.”

She said while the politics is shifting every day, the science isn’t changing.

“While we might not get everything we want from hydrogen, we can with the right priorities … create a clean, credible and competitive hydrogen economy that can effectively deliver on its climate promise.”