Ukraine invasion puts pressure on gas-to-hydrogen switch – Air Liquide
Incentives for switching to hydrogen are growing but more policy support is still needed
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the need to transition to hydrogen, according to Dave Edwards, director and hydrogen advocate at French industrial gas company Air Liquide. “It’s made us think about our exposure to natural gas and that shifting to alternatives including hydrogen needs to be accelerated,” he tells Hydrogen Economist, adding that there is an increased focus on sources of hydrogen that do not require natural gas as a feedstock. The additional pressure comes on top of existing drivers for hydrogen demand, including a growing suite of policies and regulations designed to encourage uptake of the fuel. Edwards cites California as an example of a favourable policy enviro
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






