UK wants to be ‘Qatar of hydrogen’
Net-zero strategy will do for hydrogen what previous policies did for wind power, says Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The UK wants to be the “Qatar of hydrogen” by investing in green and blue forms of the technology as part of its net-zero strategy, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The strategy sets out policies and proposals to reduce emissions for each sector as well as laying out different decarbonisation pathways. “It was the strike price, the idea of contracts for difference, that enabled the private sector to come in with wind power,” says Johnson. “And that is what we are now doing with hydrogen.” Although the accompanying net-zero strategy does not mention specific policies on contracts for difference—often cited by industry as a much-needed measure— it does reaffirm the establishment of a
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
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






